Ourstory: Lessons from the Silly Strings of Life

As a child growing up, there were many ways to interact with my neighborhood friends... and to learn some of life's lessons along the way...

• Kick the Can - seeking to be winners
• Members Only Clubs - identifying who was In and who was Out
• Building Forts - imagining adventure and protecting what is important
• Hide and Seek - learning when to be invisible and how to find the hidden
• Capture the Flag - working to become a Team
• Tag - deciding who was 'It'
• Red Light / Green Light - paying attention to signals given 

These, and many other outdoor activities, tested our young bodies, our spirits, and our imagination.  They helped us expend an overabundance of energy, and kept us occupied and out of our parents' hair!

But, did you ever play with Silly String?  And, did you know that Silly String was an accidental invention?  This concoction that propels a plastic 'string' from an aerosol can at many parties and weddings was intended to be a 'foamable resinous composition' to create an instant cast for a broken/sprained leg or arm. 

Think about this the next time you're engaged in a mock battle as the various colored strings intersect in the air and create layered rainbows on the objects where they land.  Silly String's original purpose was to heal.  It does this -- okay, maybe not in the way it was intended!  Consider the laughter, good humor, and smiles that erupt when colorful strings dance and cross from one person to another!

Mock Battles: laughter, color, and silliness fill the air
(Click link to read about the History of Silly String)

As with any game, challenge, or mock battle, there is an ending and a time to clean up.  With Silly String, the clean up can sometimes be daunting:  the dried strands of string sticks to the objects, breaks apart, and flies away in the wind.  Sometimes, it resembles the muddiness of Life: those times when relationships have bumps and motives are questioned.

I wonder about Ourstory ('Our Story') - the collection of events, interactions, conversations, and disagreements that crisscross our lives.  Oftentimes, the patterns are beautiful; sometimes, we become entangled in a mess of misunderstanding.  Even an intended  playful comment can land flat, sticking or flying away with unintended consequences that are hard to clean up.

Are there instances in your life where Baggage Carried no longer seems needed and helpful?  Maybe hurtful memories seem to stick, weigh you down, and are no longer colorful?

Silly String:  Self Portrait  (Andrew Crooks Art)

As I continue to practice the Dynamic Dialogue stances:

• [Awareness]  I notice that I might not be able to unravel the stories I have created, heard, or passed along.
• [Compassion]  With the responsibility of identifying and owning these stories, I hold lightly the damage I might have caused myself and others.
• [Interdependence]  We become interconnected when we listen and try to understand one another.
• [Creative Freedom]  We have opportunities to respond in new and exciting ways.

In other words, the mess we have created with the silly string of events interwoven in Ourstory, is not the end. 

We may not be able to unravel or clean up the past.  Rather, we are invited to clear out one  small area for Conscious, Sacred, Creative Togetherness.  Silly String engagements may still come at us, but we have a choice in how to participate and learn.  I believe it is time to learn to play anew!

Silly String Madness (GentleRainInBlue)

Questions to consider this week:

• What games did you play as a child?
• Which ones were favorites?  Which ones did you dislike?  Why?
• What lessons carry forward in your life right now?

May we anticipate encounters with Loved Ones, Colleagues, and Friends this week -- enjoying the healing intertwining of Lives and the Colorfulness we add to one another!

Larry Gardepie
Dialogue San Diego Consulting