While this blog is usually devoted to insights about relationships and connections, I want to make a few observations about my book, Gnarly's Journey.
While the book is written with concrete examples and language, it is a parable. Two versions of society collide. There is pain and struggle, then redemption and triumph.
drawing by Eileen Samuel
A grumpy, bossy gnome gets stranded at the North Pole about a month before Christmas. What happens is a cultural clash with the elves, and the resulting chaos only begins to be resolved when his hidden pain is revealed. The happy result is far beyond his wildest expectations.
One of the reasons that I wrote Gnarly's Journey was to offer some ways to head off hurtful words and behaviour before they become entrenched, especially for elementary school children, who are forming groups for the first time.
When we know and accept ourselves, we can know and accept others. I believe that kindness and empathy can be fostered, and when these are experienced, they can be shared more easily.
Gnarly's Journey is a story with many examples of wish-fulfillment. Children can immerse themselves in a world in which they might want to live. They can imagine the warmth of the North Pole community, and be given words and actions that can help them to duplicate these positive and healthy experiences.
Many communities have figured out how to live without discrimination and intolerance, and with joy and peace, and a lot of fun.