Generosity, Kindness and Friendship

~ May your heart be like a lake …

with a calm still surface and great depths of kindness. ~ 

Lao Tzu

A long time ago when I was home from college for Christmas Break, I went to the local strip mall to do some shopping.  While walking from store to store I decided to smile at everyone.  The smiles returned were the best Christmas presents I received that year.   My little unscientific experiment showed me the power of a generous smile. 

Another incident from my distant past taught me a lesson in kindness.  I was driving home from a wedding that had taken place two states away.  The retread came off my tire and I had no idea how to change a tire.  Yes, I know my education was lacking.  But I did know enough to put my hood up and then wait in the car for help.  The state patrol called a service station to come help.  My tire was changed; I paid for the service, and had no money left to continue my trip.  So I stopped at my future in-laws where I told my story.  Not only did my future brother-in-law go out and buy me a spare tire, but he gave me enough money to make it home.

And this could be my cats except they are much older.

When I count the blessings of friendship I have experienced throughout my life, I know that lasting relationships take commitment, TLC, and love both to build and to maintain.  I have many friends – some brand new, others from childhood and every part of my life in-between.  True friends really are angels in disguise.  They come to your aid when needed.  They laugh with you, cry with you, celebrate your successes and overlook your failures.  "With true friends - even water drunk is sweet enough." ~Chinese Proverb

Here’s a website with many Friendship Quotes: http://www.friendship.com.au/quotes/

                                                                                  

               So it is no wonder when I think of the three words “generosity,” “kindness” and “friendship” I get a warm fuzzy feeling.  A feeling that lingers from my childhood, from the gifts I have received and given throughout the years, and from the closeness of a friend who loves you no matter what.

               Some of the best gifts I have received from others are stories or as I like to call them Story Gifts.  The generosity of storytellers is well known throughout the storytelling community if not the world in general.  When I feel out of sorts, down in the dumps, I know that if I talk to one of my storyteller friends, my life will instantly become brighter, more livable.  There is kind generosity of friendship like no other I’ve known.  It may take a village to raise a child, but it also takes a village to create a storyteller.

Storytelling mentors are some of the most generous people in the world.  They spend their time with you, encourage you to do better, to grow in story, stretching your comfort zone or taking steps outside it.  I was privileged to count the great storyteller, Norma Livo, as a mentor.  She was an inspiration not only to me, but to my daughter as well.  We attended her Storytelling Camp together back in the late-1980’s.  Looking at her comments when she signed the books I purchased from her, I can see our relationship growing and flowering.  She will, of course, receive a copy of my book, Old China through the Eyes of a Storyteller, when it is published later this summer.  And so the circle rolls onward.

One of my fondest memories of Norma is when at the Rocky Mountain Storytelling Conference, those who were presenting stories and/or workshops honored her at the Opening Ceremony.  My gift may have seemed a wee bit out of the ordinary as it was the annual report of the Colorado State Library.  But, there on the cover was a picture of a storyteller (yours truly).  The first and perhaps the only time a storyteller had been featured on the cover of the Colorado State Library Annual Report.  Norma was thrilled.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Norma last week.  She is still witty and wonderfully down-to-earth.  We promised to keep in better touch.  And I know that is a promise I will keep.  The gift of Friendship is all important, and I count Norma as a friend as well as a mentor.  If you don’t know Norma, but have heard Elizabeth Ellis, I believe they were cut of the same cloth.  Two Great Ladies of Story

As Valentine’s Day approaches, you may want to think of your friendships, of kindnesses shown to you or by you to others and the generosity of people in your life.  I know I will be as I work on becoming a better friend who is more generous and infinitely more kind.  Let me know how I’m doing.

Chinese New Year - Spring Festival

What Westerners call Chinese New Year, the Chinese call the Spring Festival.  All Chinese Festivals are special events, but Spring Festival is the biggest, most elaborate and lasts the longest – 15 whole days and nights!  Each day has a special significance (See below).  Spring Festival begins on the first day of the first lunar month under the new moon; fifteen days later Spring Festival ends with the Lantern Festival which is celebrated under the light of the full moon.  This year that corresponds to January 23 and February 6 on the Gregorian calendar that Westerners use.

Before the Spring Festival begins cleaning, cooking, and shopping must be completed as the evening before the first day of the first lunar month is for spending time with your family, eating and telling stories.  Midnight marks the transition to the New Year with firecrackers and dumplings.  Spring Festival’s fifteen days all have special tasks.

First Day: No cleaning!  All your good fortune might be swept out the door!  Children are given money in decorated red envelopes.  And the gods are welcomed.

Second Day: Prayers are sent to your ancestors as well as the gods.  Dogs enjoy their birthdays this day.

Third and Fourth Days: Sons-in-law are expected to show their respect to their in-laws.

Fifth Day: The God of Wealth (Making Money Correctly) is welcomed into homes.  You should not be out visiting when he comes.

Sixth to Tenth Days: Visiting friends, relatives, and the temples takes place.

Seventh Day: Traditionally people eat noodles to bring long life.  It is also humankind’s birthday.  Farmers are honored on this day.

Ninth Day: Offerings are made to the Jade Emperor.

Tenth to Twelfth Days: Visiting is over and invitations to family and friends to join you for a meal are given. 

Thirteenth Day: Take a break from overeating and eat simply on this day.

Fourteenth Day: All preparations for the Lantern Festival are made.

Fifteenth Day: The Lantern Festival is celebrated under the first full moon.  Lanterns are lit, parades wind through the streets, and sticky rice balls are consumed.

The Chinese Zodiac consists of twelve animals each representing a year every twelve years.  This is the year of the Dragon (long 龙).  People born during Dragon years are said to be energetic, imaginative, full of fun and lucky.  Dragons are the movers and shakers of the world.

Chinese Dragons are benevolent, unlike the Western Dragons which are cruel and demand sacrifice.   The Dragon was the symbol of the Emperor because the Dragon represents wealth, wisdom, power, and nobility.  In the old days only the Emperor could wear this symbol.

Story of Nián

The Chinese word for year is nián (年).  There is good reason for this.  Nián was the name of a ferocious monster with a voracious appetite that plagued the countryside every year eating livestock and people as well.  So each year the people of the villages would flee to the mountains for safety driving their livestock ahead of them.

One year an old man entered the village just as everyone was fleeing.  He stopped at the home of an old woman and asked, “Why are the people leaving your village?”

“Because,” she answered, “they are afraid.”

“Why are they afraid?” the Old Man queried.

“You don’t know?”  The Old Woman was incredulous.  She told the Old Man about Nián and its terrible appetite.

“Ah…”  The Old Man stroked his beard.  “Would you like to be rid of Nián forever?”

“Of course,” replied the Old Woman.  “But how can we do that?  It eats everything!”

“Leave it to me.  May I stay in your house tonight?”

“Yes, but I hope you will still be here when we return.”  And with that the Old Woman picked up her bundle and was off.

The Old Man covered the all the windows with red paper and cloth.  He made pyres of bamboo on the paths leading to the entrances.  He set firecrackers up so he could light one and all would go off.  And then he sat back and waited.

That night the Old Man heard a terrible roaring and gnashing sound.  He peeked out the window and saw Nián emerging from the dark.  Quickly he lit the fires and firecrackers.  Nián saw the red in the windows and the bright flames from the fires.   Nián heard the loud pop pop of the firecrackers.  Nián stood still, then turned and ran away into the night.

When the villagers returned to their homes, there was the Old Man waiting for them.  They crowded around him with questions flying.  He held up his hand; then told them about what had happened in their absence.

“Really?” the villagers asked.  “Nián is afraid of red, loud noises and bright light?”

“Yes,” answered the Old Man.

And the celebration began.  Now every year people all over China and elsewhere in the world celebrate the New Year with Red, Loud Noises and Bright Lights.  And Nián has not been seen since.

There are many versions of the story of Nián.  This version of the story was told to me by Mr. Li Kuo, a teacher from Heilongjiang Provence located in the Chinese rooster’s head.  Mr. Li is spending the current school year teaching Mandarin to HS students in Monte Vista, CO, and was a great help in finishing the pinyin glossary for my book, Old China through the Eyes of a Storyteller, to be published by Parkhust Brothers late Summer, 2012.

Here are some websites that give more details about the Chinese New Year.

http://education2.uvic.ca/Faculty/mroth/438/china/chinese_new_year.html

               Brief explanation of the Chinese New Year and links to more details.

http://china.mrdonn.org/newyear.html

               A fun social studies website for teachers and students.

http://www.rightathome.com/Family/Articles/Pages/WelcometheDragon.aspx

               Hints for things to do to celebrate as well as ads for Johnson cleaning products.

http://www.china-family-adventure.com/chinese-zodiac.html

               Simple explanation of the twelve Zodiac animals and a very brief story about why these twelve and not others.

A New Year

So why is today, January 1, 2012, the beginning of a new year?  What special events happened on this date long ago to make it memorable and the beginning of a year?  Why doesn’t the year begin with the lengthening of days on the Winter Solstice?  Or perhaps on the Vernal Equinox when the season of Spring starts?  And who set up the calendar we use anyway?

That’s a lot of questions to ask after a night of reveling, except I fell asleep and dreamed about a New Year, a New Beginning.

This morning, instead of complaining about a headache which I didn’t have, I did what good librarians have done for centuries – research.  And here’s what I found out.

Not everyone celebrates New Year on January 1.  I already knew about the Chinese New Year, known as the Spring Festival, which follows the Lunar Calendar instead of the Solar Calendar and lasts fifteen days.  The Chinese or Lunar New Year falls on January 23 this year.  But what about other cultures?  Here’s some more in order of their occurrence during the year 2012: Buddhists celebrate start of the New Year on the date when Buddha Mahaparinibbana died; so this year is will be April 6.  The Buddhist year is 2555.  Next is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year a time of introspection and change, which will be from sundown on September 16 through 18.  The Jewish year is 5772.  And the quiet Islamic New Year is a remembrance of Muhammed’s emigration from Mecca to Medina and will occur on November 26.  The Islamic year is 1433.  (http://www.omaha.com/article/20120101/NEWS01/701019875/1607)

I found a really good article about the Julian and Gregorian calendars by Peter Meyer which explains how the Romans used a solar year calendar and Julius Caesar needed to change from the old calendar which was in use at the time of his reign.  But then by the year 1582, the Julian calendar no longer matched with the times the seasons naturally began, thus Easter was slipping into summer on the calendar.  Oooops.  Two Popes, Paul III and Gregory XIII, were instrumental in changing the calendar which now bears Gregory’s name since he had more to do with it than Paul did.  Jesuit Christopher Clavius and astronomer and physician, Luigi Lilio, were the actual authors of the calendar, but of course, in those days it took a papal bull to institute a change so large as eliminating ten whole days from the calendar and getting the world to agree.  European countries were, of course, the first to adopt the Gregorian Calendar, but it took a good 341 years to get consent from some quarters.  The Gregorian Calendar is now considered to be the international civil calendar – the one everyone uses to count the years as they fly by.  Well, actually so we all understand when matters we all discuss happened.  Acceptance by the International Community took quite a number of years, no matter whose years you count.

(http://www.hermetic.ch/cal_stud/cal_art.html#Julian_Calendar)

So back to January 1 and the beginning of a New Year.  Why January 1?  The Romans, it seems began their year in March with Spring, but when Julius Caesar changed the calendar that date fell on January 1.   To top that off the Roman senate convened on January 1.  Caesar, however, wanted the New Year to begin at the Winter Solstice – new light, new beginning.  Seeing the political light Caesar capitulated and gave up on the Winter Solstice as being the beginning of the New Year.  

According to Christian tradition Jesus was circumcised on January 1.  Circumcision was an auspicious day in the life of any Jewish male child.  So when the Popes got involved in calendar reform, New Year’s Day was kept as January 1.  Since the world as a whole adopted the Gregorian Calendar, the world celebrates the New Year on January 1.

Whatever the tradition you follow, a new year is a new beginning, a time to reflect on the year just past and adjust for the clean slate year ahead. 

Just an afterthought: We could all celebrate our very own New Year when it’s our birthday. 

Story Changes a Life

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
-- Confucius

That Journey can be one of Change.  Change sometimes begins with a baby step.  A step outside one’s Comfort Zone. 

Four years ago this past September, I took that first step by inviting my daughter to accompany me to China to gather stories.  Then in April with my hand tightly clinging to my daughter’s we stepped out into the unknown.  Well, unknown to me.  Laura had been to China before which is why I was clinging to her hand.  We were going to China to gather stories!  Life changing – door opening…

Two years later on a solitary journey through the mountains of Colorado and across the deserts of the southwest, I felt a bigger change coming over me.  A change that required a giant step outside my Comfort Zone.  Another Leap of Faith.  Ever wonder what it would be like to reinvent yourself?  After an incredible four year journey, I can say it’s been worth the reinvention.  Growth has been phenomenal!  And I lay everything at the feet of Story and Storytelling.

The results of this journey have been an anthology of Chinese Folktales, Old China through the Eyes of a Storyteller, to be published by Parkhurst Brothers in May, 2012; the opportunity to help produce the Rocky Mountain Storytelling Conference in May, 2012; presentations at the Tumbleweed Festival in Abilene, TX, in October, 2010, Florida StoryCamp in March, 2011, LANES Sharing the Fire in March, 2012, and Northlands in April, 2012; attendance at the Global Storytelling Institute on the ETSU campus August, 2011; and to top it all off immersion into the world of Story including new friends throughout the Storytelling World and work finding me through avenues that had not been paying off until now.  Amazing , remarkable, wonderful …

Robert Frost tells the story best in his poem The Road Not Taken:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference

What's Next?

I am developing a program for upper grade elementary and middle schoolers on the value of writing.  The program will include information on how the publishing business works, and why it is so important to do your “homework” since luck is usually made it doesn’t just happen. 

Maybe you’re wondering why I choose to write an anthology of Chinese folktales.  Well, China entered my home early in my life when I was a youngster in the form of a tall, handsome woman who had been my mother’s best friend in nursing school.  Edith lived her life in China as the daughter of missionaries.  She would visit us every other year, tell us stories and bring my sisters and me little gifts from China – I still have some of them. 

During my life, my interest in China has been piqued several times - after Edith mysteriously vanished and no longer came to visit, trying to learn how to use chopsticks in sixth grade when we went to a Chinese restaurant as a field trip, when my grown daughter visited China to learn about indigenous medicine.  So when I was invited to travel to China in April, 2008, after careful deliberation and conversations with my daughter, I decided to go.  How glad I am that I did!  It changed my life.

Back Home in Colorado

Back home in Colorado the end of June. Deadlines for expanding the Anthology of Chinese Folktales kept me busy all summer! And now it will be a reality this coming spring. Details as they are available will be posted!
But here's what I can tell you now.
The manuscript almost doubled in size as I added new stories, revised and researched.  Librarians love doing research; so I was having a ball.  Luckily from my desk I could relax by looking out on my garden from time to time.  The pinyin glossary was finished by my new friend Li Kuo - what a joy!  Huang Sky wrote such a wonderful Introduction.  And this week I finish up the gathering of endorsements, questions and pictures of yours truly to use for publicity.  It's all coming together.

Oh, and those grandkids I left back in Florida?  Well, they moved to Denver so we see each other every month!  They were testing out some of my stories last winter.  The oldest already has his favorites.  We taught a special song to the kids at the library before I left.  Storytelling is in the blood and will be alive and well for another generation.

Where Have I Been? Writing a book of Chinese Folktales

Has it really been over a year since I posted? Oh, what have I been doing?

Well, the last four months of 2009 I was subbing in the library at Marsh Elementary School in Monte Vista, CO. Then I spent two weeks freezing in Florida after Christmas (yes it was below freezing at night for almost the whole two weeks!).

The rest of the winter and spring I began in earnest to write my book of Chinese Folktales. The submition dealine I set for myself has been moved a number of times for good reasons and is now looming again. Hopefully this time I will make the deadline and not have to reset it once more.

Storytelling did happen though. I helped a small but determined group of fifth graders find their inner storyteller at Evans School in Alamosa, CO. These students persisted and were rewarded by being able to perform for the public at their World's Fair in May, 2010. They even convinced their teachers that they should receive as many points for telling a story as for producing a Power Point.

SLV Spellbinders journeyed to tiny Costilla, NM, to bring the joy of story to local students in April.
SLV Spellbinders also helped Bill Metz Elementary School in Monte Vista celebrate their International Day the first Friday in May, 2010.
SLV Spellbinders tell stories on KRZA (88.7 fm) on the last Sunday every month. Sometimes it's just me and other times I am joined by various storytellers. I enjoy telling stories on the radio and have gotten to the point where I can even do it without an audience.

I bartered some stories with Charlie Sanchez when he fixed my HD receiver which I told for his son's birthday party in April, 2010. Bartering got into my system and the next barter resulted in 6 tickets to the Creede Theatre for their Summer, 2010, season. I was able to see three plays and invited my daughter and husband to join me.

The end of July I drove from Colorado to California by myself while listening to stories on CD all the way! I think some of the other drivers must have thought I was crazy I was laughing so hard sometimes. The NSN Conference was life-changing. I met storytellers I had only heard of and many, many I hadn't. I was able to share a couple stories at two story swaps where the hosts became my new friends. My roomie is also a friend now.

In September we packed two cats and some clothes, books and everything from China into the car and drove to Florida where I will be living until June, 2011. That led to more new storytelling friends (Tampa Bay Area Storytelling Guild) and opportunities to tell.

Circle C Ranch in October for my grandson's birthday.
Two Telebrations this month along with stories at the Oscar J. Pope Elementary School and Dale Mabry Elementary School. Watch for photos.