Tag Archives: wisdom

Girl Scouts’ Bridge Ceremony

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Language: English

“Everytime in Girl Scouts that we went up a level; so, Daisy to Brownie, Brownie to Junior, Junior to Cadet, Cadet to Senior, and Senior to Ambassador. We had a Bridge Ceremony to mark the transition. There are a lot of different ways that we did them. But, generally, they include a bridge or something to like physically pass from one side to another. And generally, before this ceremony happens, you will talk to the level above you to ask them about wisdom and what questions you might have and you talk to a troop in the level below you and pass on your wisdom to them”

“And then at the actual ceremony there’s plenty of stories that everyone has to read a bit and it’s all about like the Girl Scout Promise and Law. Sometimes you just skip straight to calling each girl across the bridge and then giving them their next badge that goes on their vest to signify ‘hey, you’re older!’ So each girl crosses the bridge. Yay! You’re all the next level”

What are some variations?

The informant described having “something reminiscent of the year below or the year that you are,” such as when transitioning from brownies to juniors, they had brownies and junior mints.

“There’s a lot of variations on that. One year, we limboed into cadets, I think. We started having pool parties, so we kind of just jumped into the next year. 

But the actual physical bridge is a big one. The most institutionalized version of this [would be that] many people when they bride to cadets fly to San Fran to cross the Golden Gate Bridge because thats when you’re younger girl to older girl. You’re expected to start volunteering and helping out with events and stuff. You’re going into middle school, so it’s a big transition.”

Analysis: While this ceremony is institutionalized in the idea, the international organization of Girl Scouts provides endless opportunities for multiplicity and variation of this tradition. In fact, not all troops even participate in this tradition since it is not a required ceremony. Other troops even have completely different ceremonies for transitions. These ceremonies signify the girls’ growth each year and excite them for moving up in the ranks. The bridge itself has a symbolism of moving on into the next state of life, which becomes a little looser as they get older and the bridge becomes less literal. The informant even recognizes an important coming of age transition into cadets and sometimes go to San Francisco, emphasizes the weight of their new responsibilities of an older girl. These ceremonies set the tone for the new expectations each year and celebrate their achievements thus far as well as getting passed down wisdom from the girls a level older, making them feel more prepared for their next year of life. 

Hardship Proverb

Informant Info

Race/Ethnicity: White

Age: 20

Occupation: College Student

Residence: Los Angeles, USA

Date of Performance: February 20, 2025

Primary Language: English

Other Language(s): N/A

Relationship: Friend

Text: “When it rains, it pours.”

Context: The informant recalls hearing this saying often, especially when things felt overwhelming and everything seemed to go wrong at once. It was frequently used by the informant’s soccer coach during tough periods, acknowledging the feeling of being overwhelmed by multiple challenges at once, and offering comfort and solidarity.

Analysis: This saying reflects a deeply human experience—the feeling that when one problem arises, it often triggers a cascade of others. It highlights how people express empathy by recognizing that difficulties often come in waves, offering a sense of understanding and support. The saying helps individuals cope by framing challenges as something shared, reminding them that they are not alone in facing tough times. I see it as a way of using language to acknowledge the emotional weight of life’s difficulties and the universal experience of hardship.

Motivation/American Dream Proverb

Informant Info

Race/Ethnicity: White

Age: 21

Occupation: College Student

Residence: Connecticut, USA

Date of Performance: February 13, 2025

Primary Language: English

Other Language(s): N/A

Relationship: Friend

Text: “The early bird gets the worm.” 

Context: This proverb was often shared by the informant’s parents throughout his childhood, particularly during his school years. Whenever the informant procrastinated on assignments, especially when the due date was approaching, his parents would remind him to stay ahead of his responsibilities with this saying. 

Analysis: This saying highlights the importance of getting ahead of things, working hard, and being disciplined. It taps into a major value in American culture, where the idea of the “American Dream” suggests that anyone can achieve success if they’re willing to put in the effort. The “early bird” idea is all about seizing opportunities and not waiting until the last minute, which speaks to the drive for success that’s so common in the U.S. The informant’s experience shows how this proverb wasn’t just some old piece of wisdom—it was a practical tool for getting things done, especially when it came to schoolwork. It reinforces the belief that taking initiative, being responsible, and staying ahead of your tasks can help you succeed, something that’s at the heart of how success is often viewed in Western culture.

Treat others well proverb

Information Info

Age: 18

Date_of_performance: 02/16/2025

Informant Name: CK

Language: English 

Nationality: American 

Occupation: Student 

Primary Language: English

Residence: Westwood, Los Angeles 

Text:

““Treat other’s the way you’d like to be treated” My mom engrained that into my brain growing up anytime I ever did or said something she thought was unfair, especially towards other kids my age. It’s a fairly common saying, but I associate it most strongly with my mom because of her strong sense of justice and compassion.”

Analysis:

It is fascinating to me that most of the proverbs you hear around, are introduced you by your parents or specifically by your mother. This one stands out the most to be out of all of the them. It has 2 meanings we could dive into. 1. The simple and widely known meaning of treating people with respect and kindness. Putting yourself into their shoes and imagining what it would be like if someone those awful and disgusting words towards you, how would you feel? What you give out will come right back to you. 2. This meaning is a bit harder to find, but it also could mean do more than what is expected of you and put your own needs aside. The proverb follows the first meaning more, because CK mentioned how his mom would say it to him whenever he did something unfair towards siblings or kids around his age and her sense of justice getting passed down to him because of this saying that he will carry with him throughout life and help create his own sense of justice for others and doing what is right.


Letting go of things proverb

Information Info

Age: 20

Date_of_performance: 02/18/2025

Informant Name: HH

Language: English

Nationality: Puerto Rican  

Occupation: Student/works at the National History Museum

Primary Language: English/Spanish

Residence: Los Angeles, CA

Text:

“One saying I grew up hearing (and learned wasn’t that common?) was “let it roll off you like water off a duck’s back.” I think this came from my dad who’s from Alabama so it might have southern roots. The idea of the saying is to encourage someone to let something go, to be flexible, and not to fixate on something too much. Basically a cute way to tell someone to let it go, or that it’s not that deep”

Analysis:

This proverb sounds like it could have southern roots because I haven’t heard of it until H told me in our interview and I’m from the east coast. I can understand why her dad would tell her this proverb growing up, it’s a sweeter version of saying “Don’t freak out. You need to calm down”. It gives you the idea that you need to breath and let it all go. Let go of things you can change, it isn’t the end of the world. We all needed to hear this proverb growing up with all of the pressure being put on us. “Let it roll off you like water off a duck’s back”, ducks don’t get upset when water rolls off their back, they don’t even pat an eye towards it. They let the water roll off them and move on like it never touched them in the first place. This is what the saying wants to feel, like the uncomfortableness come over us and let it go without a second thought or care.