The Samaritan Connection - 5

The Power of Stories
By Ellen Kanagy, MSW, LCSW
Whether we are aware of it or not, stories surround us all the time. Children love stories. Many of
us grew up hearing fairy tales and/or Aesop's fables. There are storytelling competitions called " slams " .
Grandparents and other elders commonly tell stories based on memories from the past. Many cultures
have strong storytelling traditions. Social media encourages posting short " stories " comprised of pictures,
music, words or all three! Life stories are shared in therapy rooms constantly.
And we all tell ourselves stories as we process day-to-day events -- stories that represent beliefs about ourselves, about others,
about our past, and about the future. Sometimes we don't realize this until it gets pointed out to us.
These stories are powerful in many ways. They can infl uence our moods, our relationships, our motivations, and our
productivity or lack thereof. There may be times we need to retell or rewrite a story that no longer applies or is not really true.
A re-written story could shed new light on an old idea.
A well-chosen story can also become an effective therapeutic tool. It can bring awareness, insight, hope, comfort and
challenge in a way other words might not. Here's one old story that has been told in my therapy offi ce recently.
A teacher became weary of one student's constant complaining about how hard things were in life, and asked the student to take a
handful of salt and put it in a glass of water. The student obeyed and then was asked to take a sip.
" How does it taste? " asked the teacher.
" Bitter! " said the student.
Then the teacher invited the student to walk together to a fresh mountain lake. Once there,
the student was instructed to put a handful of salt in the lake and swirl it around in the water.
" Now take a drink, " said the teacher, and the student did so.
" How does that taste? " asked the teacher.
" Fresh! " the student answered.
" Does it taste salty? "
" Not at all! " was the reply.
The teacher then sat down beside the student and gently said, " The pain and struggle in life is pure salt. There will always be diffi culty
and struggle in life. But the amount of bitterness we taste depends on the container one puts it in. So when you are in pain, stop being a
glass. Become a lake. " (Adapted from The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo)
This compelling story can be applied to so many circumstances in life. Life as a human being will include struggle, grief,
confl ict, emotional or physical pain, and much more. Yet if we enlarge and expand our perspective, it can make all the
difference in the quality of our day-to-day life. This shift is certainly not always an easy venture. Sitting with a therapist, friend
or loved one to explore the idea together may be benefi cial or needed.
When in pain, can we " become a lake " ? Can we remember what else is present in our lives? What other realities are also true? Do we
need to re-write a story or start telling a different one?
" The pain and struggle in life is
we taste depends on the
container one puts it in. So
when you are in pain, stop being
a glass. Become a lake. "
The Samaritan Connection * 5
pure salt. There will always be
diffi culty and struggle in life.
But the amount of bitterness

The Samaritan Connection

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