WANTED: Uplifting Folk Stories!!

Little Frederick Howard lived in a round glass house. Microphones were placed diligently outside and around the glass walls so that he could write stories about many of the town folk who passed by him. Gossip was his favorite delight, he was able to see in all directions for his inspiration. Little Frederick got the name "Little" 47 years ago when he was teased about being short. He became recluse at an early age, he felt he had nothing to share because of his size.

He didn't have any furniture, only stacks upon stacks of stories about the problems of anyone who ever passed his glass house. Some of his favorite chapters were about Betsy Boomshore. She was a young gal with a reputation to be a charmer to many of the men in town, stories he'd hear constantly from five local ladies.

Betsy, however, to Little Frederick's aggravation, was liked by so many people because she was able to speak well and tell long stories to entertain on Friday evenings at the local playhouse. Certainly not a place he'd ever attended to actually listen to them. He just continually heard about her fabulous stories and it made him angry that nobody ever seemed to be interested in his stories about others.

Instead of writing about Betsy's attributes, Little Frederick wrote about all of the gossip he heard about her from these five jealous women who would often have picnics within reach of his listening system. He'd be glued to the nasty words each woman had to say, and Little Frederick could write faster than a speeding bullet.

Since often they would whisper, he even had a state of the art recorder in case he could not hear them, he'd play it over and over until he could write every word. Each of the women, Penelope Pea, Charlotte Nowhere, Angela Uppity, Tiara Talky, and "Cat Woman" Kate all had very harsh life issues that Little Frederick would simply ignore so that his writings of Betsy B. would have more of a foundation in his reality.

In the afternoon, just after noon, Betsy always walked by the glass house, alone. She was even shorter than him, with curly blonde hair, and always perfectly dressed, she wore bows in her hair to match her outfits. Little Frederick had a pair of binoculars so that he could take in her beauty at close range as she silently walked past his microphones. She'd pass by again 45 minutes later after visiting the market carrying a small bag of groceries. Little Frederick would then take her picture with his zoom lens to keep to date with his illustrations with the ongoing Betsy Boomshore chapters.

One day, just after noon, a man with a Goodwill truck pulled up to Little Frederick's glass house. The knock on the door surprised Little Frederick. "Might you have something for Goodwill today, sir? We have a special drive to raise money for people in need."

Little Frederick, who was not use to speaking to others (only out loud to himself,) heard his voice crack, as he found himself wanting to actually help with this drive. "I uh, have some "folk stories" I'd be happy to give you one," he shuffled off, leaving the man at the door, and went to choose from a his special Boomshore section.

Just as Little Frederick handed over a very special story, with full color illustrations of Betsy Boomshore, she began walking past the house. "Look Betsy! He's written stories about you," the Goodwill man exclaimed. Little Frederick felt a shame come over him, he simply didn't understand the feeling. He was frozen, as Betsy happily walked toward her Goodwill friend, Norman, she gave him a warm "hello."

Then she turned to Little Frederick, "About me, Frederick?" she asked. He had no idea she knew his name, and she didn't say "Little."

The first line included the source of this particular story, just after Little Frederick's byline. "Oh my," Betsy exclaimed as she read out loud, 'Penelope Pea, Charlotte Nowhere, Angela Uppity, Tiara Talky, and "Cat Woman" Kate." She and Norman then became entirely silent as they began to comb the 24 page story in fine detail, with perfect handwriting; each finishing the page at the same time as the other.

Little Frederick was captivated by their devouring focus of his story, his eyes glued as he watched, and his body also still frozen knowing the story might hurt her feelings.

It wasn't far into the story that Little Frederick noticed Betsy smile. At the same paragraph, Norman laughed out loud.

All the way to the end, both Betsy and Norman seemed to be taking in one of the funniest stories they'd ever read.

At the end, Norman said, "very well written, five stars on funny, but Betsy is one of the most wholesome friends I've ever known, and if you put your writing in a more positive light, I think you will do quite well as a professional writer."

Norman graciously took the story with him to the Goodwill truck to add to the most important drive pile of goods, thanking Frederick for his thoughtfulness, and giving a quick goodbye to Betsy, as she wanted a private conversation with Frederick.

"Tell you what, Frederick," Betsy said, "you've got a great gift to write stories. I'd like you to join me on Friday evenings onstage at the playhouse."

"Only thing is, I'd also like you to be my writing partner, but the theme of our Friday night stories need to uplift each character we talk about."

Frederick, now not feeling little at all, smiled at Betsy as he had never smiled before. He felt for the first time he had been heard, and it felt glorious. "When can we start on these stories?" Frederick asked with excitement.

Betsy said, "No time like the present!" And, Frederick, invited her into his glass house.

Not having a place to sit, Frederick asked for Norman's phone number from Betsy. He immediately had Norman return to his house to give all of his "folk stories" to the Goodwill drive, he wanted to make room for the uplifting stories he was about to create with Betsy. He also donated his microphones and recording equipment to the playhouse.

Soon after they began writing and performing together, Betsy moved her furniture into the glass house, they had two children, and they all lived happily ever after.

Even when we feel down about how things have gone for ourselves, appreciating the positive aspects of others will actually help to lift us up from our place of need. The positive aspects in others are a mirror for us to remember and highlight those areas within ourselves.

Living with gossip and the fear of not feeling heard will indeed highlight those areas within us, and are not beneficial for healthy growth. Find the people in your life that you know will lift you, with no question.

If you need to walk from a friend that mirrors a part of you who you don't appreciate, perhaps it is time to leave that friend. Sometimes doing so, allows your friend to find someone else who will mirror a more positive reflection for them, so that they may grow and feel uplifted.

Take an inventory of your stories. Are you happy, sad, indifferent? Would you like for them to change?

Ah good story

What a wonderful story!

I had a friend who I met when I was fifteen. She was everything I wanted to be...popular, outgoing, well-connected...while I was shy and didn't have a lot of friends. This girl was my best friend for a decade. Part of her being outgoing and my being shy was that I always went along with what she said and/or wanted to do...her life was so much more exciting than mine. Later on in my life I dated a guy that was physically and verbally abusive to me. After my 2nd attempt I was finally able to cut free from him. Then a problem arose...all of a sudden my bossy outgoing friend started to get on my nerves. I was so tired of being told what to do all of the time, and not having my opinion heard, that being friends with her was quite difficult. When I told her about my being Pagan, her first question to me was "Are you a good witch or a bad witch?" Yeah, a Wizard of Oz reference...and Wizard of Oz is my favorite book and movie. The thing is, the way she asked the question made me feel like she didn't take me seriously...like it was just another phase I was going through. Another time, when we were still in high school, we were talking about what career we wanted to have. I said that I had always wanted to be a High School Counselor...her reply was that a High School Counselor was just a glorrified paper pusher. I do not know why she would say something like this to me, and it hurt, but I let it pass. We tried to be friends for a few more years, but constant conflict kept us from remaining close. She blaimed me for never keeping in touch and even said that she felt the reason why I didn't come around anymore was because she had gotten married and had kids. WHAT!?!? Nearly all of my friends are married with children. I can also admit that because of our personality conflict I was bad about keeping in touch, but I never knew just how to tell her.

In the end we quit talking. I haven't talked to her in a very long time, and though part of me misses her sometimes I feel like the friendship grew apart. When I was young and willing to be lead, she was the right person to have as a friend. However, when I got older, I could no longer take her putting me down, and making me feel like my opinions didn't matter. We had many many great and wonderful times, but her personality and mine no longer were compatible. At that point, it was time to let her go.

Now I try to have friends who accept me for who I am...who make me feel good about myself and worthy of good things happening to me...and I try to do the same for them. I think I am empathic on some level, or at the very least incredibly sensitive, and I literally have trouble even being in the same room with people who are always negative.

Great story, and great lesson. Thank you for sharing!

Blessings,
Kaia Pythia

Wow! �KP. �Hope you don't mind if I call you KP, but, wow, you just touched on something like I have been going thru. �One of my best friends sounds just like the person you described. �

I have a friend who has been there thru the good and the bad in my life during the past 6 years. �She has been the main one telling me that I need to do, what I want to do; be independent, say what I feel, learn how to say "no"; do what is good for me; don't worry about what other people say.

Well, I learned to do all those things and she no longer likes me. � �If it ain't her idea, then it ain't a good idea. �

She taught me to say no, but don't like it when I say it to her.

She wouldn't speak to me today because another friend of ours had a birthday yesterday and decided she wanted to have 2 for 1 drinks at a local place.  Well, she didn't get a personal invitation ( and neither did the rest of us), but 6 of us showed up and enjoyed the drinks and some appetizers without her sour attitude.  Better she wasn't there for all of us.  

Just had to put in my two cents worth. �

Meery Meet Amethystone!

Sure you can call me KP!  

You know, I heard somewhere that people come into our lives at certain times for certain reason and then we let them go, while some people are in our lives for a lifetime.

I think the lesson we both learned is that it is okay to stand up for ourselves. Like you, I used to (and still sometimes do) have trouble saying "no" to people. Good for you for standing your ground!  (clap)  Long friendships like these can be hard to leave, but sometimes that is what is best.

Have you tried talking to her about this? If she still resists, then you just gotta let her go. If anything take the friendship to heart knowing that something very profound came from the relationship...you found your voice!  

Blessings,
Kaia Pythia

KP, you wouldn't be Native American would you?

Barely, something like 1/32 or something like that on my father's side. I'm mainly from Irish heritage.   Just curious, but why do you ask?

Blessings,
Kaia Pythia

Same here.  Irish and Indian on my father's side, plus French and Italian on my mother's side.  

Just wondering.  

Blessings!