Last week we had lunch with a couple who are struggling with their child. There are of course a medley of factors that conflate the circumstances. But it seemed that the combination of describing them to us, and hearing our experience with children who pushed our buttons brought them clarity. They described a time when their daughter was unable to feel compassion for her mother after an injury. Both of them added their perspective, and the anecdote became three dimensional. Months later
their daughter is in a better place.
Benjamin is captivated by stories where people change. Some lack the ability to think, or love, or be kind, and through the turmoil of the plot those attributes are born. One sure way to evoke a bright smile is to ask him if Scrooge changed.
"YES!"
Each of us is the lead in our own story. We are, through the process of relationships, becoming Real. Instead of two dimensional paper dolls, who cannot see anything higher than ourselves, we have a chance to expand.
There is a reason that stories endure. The simple step of retelling the details of a character who is searching enables us to see the quest in a way that escapes us when we are on the ground walking it.
Looking back on our actions and having a response to them makes us human. Or at least more human than we used to be.