The Gift of Friendship

Valentine's Day is a good day to remember the precious gift of friendship in our lives. Living, as we do, in times of great uncertainty, friendship offers us a tremendous resource, one that we can actively cultivate by weaving connections with others, and by remembering those who have profoundly influenced us.

I've been listening to Rick Hanson's book "Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakeable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness." He writes: "...you develop psychological resources by having sustained and repeated experiences of them that are turned into durable changes in your brain. You become more grateful, confident, or determined by repeatedly installing experiences of gratitude, confidence or determination."

I think storytelling has a role to play in this process.

As an experiment, call to mind an experience of being truly seen by another. Is there someone in your life who glimpsed your courage, your talent, or your potential? Or is there someone who really listened and encouraged you to pursue your dream? What did that feel like? What were the circumstances?

Tell the story to a friend, and ask them if your story sparks any memories or reflections of their own.

Or maybe, you have experienced the happiness of offering that gift to a friend or a child. Tell that story...

Earlier this week, I shared a folktale from the Cherokee Nation with a Grade 4/5 class. "The Bird That Was Ashamed of Its Feet" comes from the Cherokee Nation and I was given permission by the storyteller Gayle Ross to include it in my anthology, Seeds of Generosity: Storytelling in the Classroom. In the story, a bird named Meadowlark spends all her time hiding out in the tall grass because of her extra large feet, that is, until her friend Grasshopper reminds her that big feet will not stop her from flying and big feet will not stop her from singing. She flies out of the grass, lands in the treetops, and begins to sing...

Sometimes we need a friend to remind us who we are.