Week 1 Storyteling: Dr. Sheldon, Relationship Guru

Knock. Knock.

“Come on in,” yelled Dr. Sheldon from inside her office. Dr. Sheldon, or Shelly as she preferred to be called, was the most renowned relationship counselor in all of Aesop City. She had mended many friendships in her career but these next clients were going to be a challenge. In walked her new patients, the man, better known as Manny, and the lion, better known as Linus. “So, tell me what is going on,” said Shelly. Manny and Linus frantically begin to tell their side of the story, both trying to talk over the other. “Time out!” Shelly yelled. “One at a time please. Manny, why don’t you go first.”

Manny cleared hi throat and said, “It all started when Linus and I were walked home from work. We cut through the forest just like we always had but something was different. Linus has always been prideful but that day he let his pride get the best of him as he challenged me by saying how lions were superior to man.” “Don't let Manny fool you,” roared Linus. “He was the one yelling about man’s mental and physical dominance over my kind!”

The two begin to bicker back forth, each one trying to prove the superiority of their kind. “Enough!” said Shelly. “This arguing is not getting us anywhere. Please continue, Manny.” Manny began to explain that as he and Linus continued their trek through forest that they came upon a great statue. “The statue showed a man savagely tearing the mouth of the infamous Nemean Lion,” Linus said with disgust. “That man,” said Manny, “was Heracles. He is a hero among my people. That very statue proves our strength and shows that your kind is like putty in our hands.” Linus combated Manny’s brilliant (or so he thought) statement by saying with a rough laugh, “Your kind, man, sculpted that piece! The statue would show the opposite if it were crafted by a lion!” Before Manny could object, Shelly said, “Linus is right Manny. Point of view is very important. How you see things can be different than how Linus sees things. To make your friendship work, you both have to be willing to consider the other’s point of view.”

When the session was over, Linus and Manny left Dr. Sheldon’s office with all smiles. Seeing the two old friends laughing and clapping each other on the back, Shelly knew that she had done her job and done it well. “Dang, I'm good,” Shelly whispered to herself as she put her feet up on her desk, threw her arms behind her head, and leaned back in her chair.

Heracles slaying the lion statue

(Wikimedia Commons)

 

Author's Note. This story is based on the fable "The Man and the Lion." You can find this fable here; Aesop for Children, by (anonymous), illustrated by Milo Winter (1919). This fable tells of a man and a lion that get into an argument about which kind is superior; man or lion. The two come across a statue of the Greek hero Heracles tearing open the mouth of a lion. To the man, the statue proves man kind's dominance but, the lion disputes this by saying that if a lion had sculpted this statue, it would be quite different. The moral of this fable is everything depends on point of view. In my story, I decided that the man and the lion were longtime friends who needed the help of my added character, Dr. Sheldon ( a turtle who happens to be a therapist), to help them work through their argument over superiority and mend their friendship. I liked this story because the moral is very relevant to our lives. Sometimes we forget that even though we are the best of friends with someone, we can both have very different views and these varying views do not have to ruin the friendship but can instead strengthen it.