We are pleased to participate in the A to Z Blog Challenge (http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/). The Story Crossroads theme for this year is Finding Resilience & Strength through Traditional Tales.
Woman –
From Nepal
Bamboo is amazing. So versatlie, strong, and can be made into so many things. No wonder the Man in the story was easily enchanted with a voice to go deeper for the best bamboo.
What can bamboo do? Practically anything you can think of. Thomas Edison found it a necessary part of go-to items when inventing. People have used bamboo to make furniture, build roads, produce medicines, and on and on. Need a toothbrush? Use bamboo. Need a surfboard? Use bamboo.
Bamboo is strong yet flexible. Hmmm. Sounds a lot like this theme of Strength and Resilience, right? Right.
In Nepal, bamboo is mainly used for constructing homes. Perhaps the Man needed to add another room to the house due to his growing family? The Woman could have suggested the need for more space.
50-word-or-less summary
Monster enchanted Man to go deeper in forest. Monster transformed into Man. Woman noticed Man’s feet. Odd! Placed pillows in bed for her and Kids. Hid. Monster disappointed. Slipped. Knocked out. Woman put Monster in chest. Night…Thieves stole chest. Ran from Monster. Never stole again. Woman found Man. Enchantment lifted.
Finding the Story:
Book Asian Tales and Tellers – story shared within “A Woman’s Wit” – here
Book Tales of Kathmandu – here
15 Creative Uses of Bamboo – here
Academic article “Embodying Otherness: Shape-Shifting and the Natural World” – here
Finding Resilience & Strength:
How long was that Man roaming the forest under that trance? Don’t know. That could be cause for the need of strength and resilience right there. Though, I think of the observant nature of the Woman. Being intelligent is often about the strength of observation and listening. Despite the Monster looking like her husband, the Woman figured it out. Everything was as it should be…but having the toes backwards and the heels forwards could be cause for alarm.
We can all get busy in our lives and miss things. You may think, “Well, I could have seen those feet and made the same conclusions as that Woman.” Perhaps. If the Man always walked barefoot. But, if the shoes came off at night….
Then, instead of panicking, she found pillows and saved her whole family.
By the way, she purposely left the door open with the chest in view. She expected Thieves to come and rid her of the Monster. She ended up saving those Thieves from ever stealing again.
What a Woman!
Here is a list of tips from Psychology Today called “The Art of Not Panicking” to explore mental health strategies.
Please share thoughts in the comments. While you enjoy this blog, Story Crossroads has year-round offerings. See quick list of programs here.
As for our past A to Z Challenges…
While you enjoy this blog, Story Crossroads has been resilient and strong during these past years and looks forward to the next hybrid summit & festival on May 8-11, 2023. We would be honored for you to join us. Explore the schedule and register here: http://www.storycrossroads.org/Festival
Thanks to funding from National Endowment for the Arts; National Endowment for the Humanities; Western States Arts Federation; Utah Division of Arts and Museums/Utah Legislature; Utah Humanities; City of Murray; Zoo, Arts & Parks (ZAP) of Salt Lake County; Salt Lake City Arts Council; Ashton Family Foundation