Our lives are intertwined, like a wicker basket
A woven wicker basket surrounds the items it contains. Each strand, by itself, could contain nothing. Long ago, our ancestors discovered that useless strands of grass or bark could be twisted and interwoven together to store their food and precious items. Nowadays, we sometimes store our things in storage shelves. Woven wicker baskets fit on shelves that still contain food and precious items. Living our lives as members of a family, and even as members of society, can be compared to weaving a basket. A strand can represent an individual, and the degree to which the person chooses to express their individuality or blend in with the group determines how tightly or loosely it is woven into the basket.
If even two strands separate, an airtight basket will leak or break. As people in a group live and work together, they weave their lives together. Our choices and the degree to which we accept and appreciate each other and work through differences determines the tension of the weave. Many times we need to compromise for the good of all to keep our family or even our society together.
Once tied to the basket, a strand can only move so far without other strands breaking away from it. Therefore, someone who wants power and control or a stubborn and selfish person can create a hole in what could be a watertight basket. These leaks, these ruptures in the fabric of society, can weaken the basket and let the water out. If a basket is too tight, there is no room to develop individual differences. If a basket is woven too loosely, people cannot easily work together, drawing on the full range of their combined gifts and talents.
The basket weaver may, on occasion, need its basket to contain water. At other times, a basket only needs to hold larger items. That can also be true for groups of people. A sports team has to be, for a while, united enough to hold water, working together as one entity to ensure victory. But at other times, such a tight weave can suffocate. Thus, we choose to create different groups, or baskets, to store different things. Being woven doesn’t mean we don’t have choices, but it does mean our choices affect the fabric.
Our choices affect what kind of basket we are woven into. If we strive to appreciate others and allow them to be themselves and better fulfill their potential, we too will grow and learn. If we choose not to contribute, not to express our thoughts and opinions, we stifle our own growth. Like a basket sitting on a shelf in the attic, you can hide the beauty within you and all that you are and can contribute. We need to be active participants in weaving the baskets we create in life.
You may be just a strand in a basket, but you can be the glue, helping everyone get along, adding the sticky qualities and shine that make a basket special. Know that you can move your weave in a way that won’t let the water out of the basket, but allows the sunlight to come in and warm the hearts of those around you. Or you can be the one to encourage and strengthen others or take the place of the thread that has somehow cracked and broken.
Like wicker sneakers, our lives are intertwined. Each of us is a member of a family and a member of society. As we live our lives, we coil and intertwine with others to create a basket or baskets. Sometimes our baskets are tightly woven out of a sense of belonging and security or to play on a sports team, and other times our baskets are more loosely woven for the purpose of combining and enjoying creativity and gifts and talents. individual. Just as wicker baskets contain our physical treasures, our life baskets contain the things dear to our hearts: our individuality and the joy of belonging to a family, and in society, our ability to help others, express ourselves and make a difference. difference. Our lives are woven together like a wicker basket.