SELF LOVE

All You Need Is One Person to Believe in You

Lesson from a boy— It’s not about many followers or rich friends

Me: Here you go. An americano for you and green tea for me. This is an excellent place to meet. There is a good breeze, and it’s quiet today. ☕️

Sue: It’s my favorite coffee place. Do you have the children’s stories?

Me: I do. But heads up, the stories are written without any grammar or spelling checks. This is intentional. I told the children to ignore all those fancy grammar stuff and concentrate on the story they want to tell. The only rule for them is they must write at least 400 words to qualify for the prize. Honestly, I thought they would have walked out on me, but they stayed instead. 😅

Sue: Haha…Hey, that’s awesome. Bless these children. I can’t wait.

An hour later… ⏰

Sue: Okay, I am not sure I will be able to choose three winning stories. They are all so amazing and, in many ways, personal. What’s your pick?

Me: I know, right... I have two stories in mind. I wonder if the stories are real.

Sue: Yes, I was thinking the same thing. When I read Sau’s story about soldiers and the village burning, I wonder if he was describing his village. We did say the theme of the competition is about folk tales from Myanmar or a personal story.

Me: Yes, that’s the theme. Most fictional stories will always have some element of truth or a reflection of reality when you think about it. It may not be the whole story, but we probably find traces of life lessons and personal experiences if we look close enough.

Sue: I agree. It’s these bits and bobs that make a good story.

Me: Yes, indeed. I like Aung Min’s story. It reminds me of life. He wrote about how he found a broken robot toy in a dumpster. No one wanted the toy, but he rescued it and kept it as a friend.

Sue: Yes, I was touched by that story. When the battery died on the robot, he cried as if he lost the only friend he ever had. It was pretty emotional to read that he could not find batteries in time to save his toy friend.

Me: Exactly. It got me emotional too. Aung Min is a quiet boy in class — like the black sheep of the class. He doesn’t really mix well with the other children. They seem to avoid him. I sense he could be lonely, but he never says anything about it. He will sit on his own in class and nod when I asked if he is okay. I was extremely surprised he participated in the competition.

Sue: Oh, that’s interesting, especially since his story is one that stood out for me.

Me: Yes. Here is the thing. Aung Min has a great point in the story. In reality, we don’t need many friends or followers like what we have on social media. All we need is just one person to believe in us.

For Aung Min, it is a toy robot. The toy was his comfort. It is his safe person, where he has someone who listens to him at the end of the day. He might have felt the robot went through the same experience he had when he was forced to leave Myanmar with his family. In a new country with no friends who could understand him, he finds solace with a toy robot. It was his safe space as to how all friendships should be safe, unthreatening, and nurturing.

Sue: Yes, it’s true. In reality, all we need is just that one person to believe in us. That is good enough to give us the confidence to march forward in this insecure world. Worth more than millions of followers or likes.

Me: Yup. Life is that simple, and Aung Min’s is reminding us through his story. I think we can both agree this story deserves a prize. (Feeling really clever today) 😆

Sue: Damn right it does. 👍

Side note: Sue is a children’s book publisher. We collaborated for a small story writing competition for children from Myanmar.

Aung Min and his family left Myanmar when their village was destroyed. They managed to escape and arrived in Malaysia by boat. The names above are not real for children’s protection purposes.

For the children, they had to adapt to life here. They did not speak a word of English and are confined to a restricted space allocated for refugees. The learning center is the only place where Aung Min and Sau attend classes for a basic education. Classes are held in converted shipping containers with two small windows.

A snippet from Aung Min’s story…

“What is that dirty, broken robot doing here? Throw it in the bin.”

Job said, “But there is life in this one. See, the light is blinking. I want to keep him.”

“Okay then but keep it in your room,” said Job’s mum.

Suddenly the robot spoke, “Thank you for saving me, Job.”

Job and the robot soon became friends. The next day, Job saw the robot’s battery running low.

“I am getting weaker. I need a battery to charge, or I will die forever.”

“Noo!! Please don’t die. Without you, I will be lonely…” Job cried.

We all have our definition of friendship — it can be someone who listens to us, someone who has our back, someone whom you can be yourself, especially when you are puking after a night of drinks, but for children like Aung Min, it can be just a toy from the dumpster.

It’s nothing fancy; it was unwanted by other children, it was not functioning, but to him, it was the world. He picked it up and gave it life.

For me, friendship is simple, undemanding, and safe — similar to a friend at the playground when you were six years old — A friend who pushes your swing, the one who lends you a hand to pull you up the tree, or the friend who shares an ice cream with you.

It’s seldom about how many times they like your photos or how often they buy you a meal, if they are rich, or if they remember your birthday. It’s beyond all that superficial stuff, but instead, it’s about simple, sincere comfort. The kind which lets you know you are not alone.

It has nothing to do with shining stuff, boundaries, or God forbid rules of conduct. (I do have such friends… ) 😩

Like Aung Min, it was simply the discarded toy robot. And guess what, you don’t even need many friends, just one for this lifetime to help you face the world. A precious one to keep. ❤️

Share with us what you feel about friendships. How would you describe them?

Thank you for reading.

In case you might be curious about life stories from nature;

What if Human Were More Like Plants

A Forgotten Land Transform by Nature Into a Mini Food Forest

If you are keen to write with us on RESONATES, read the submission guidelines here.