Books to Love: The Rainbow Fish
“And don’t allow yourselves to be weary or disheartened in planting good seeds, for the season of reaping the wonderful harvest you’ve planted is coming! ”
This has been a wearying time. I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels that way. However, for our mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing, it is important that we not grow weary.
How do you find or maintain happiness in the continual onslaught of all the things we’ve been dealing with in the world?
I submit that the answer can be found in a children’s book. Being a new mommy, I’m reading a lot more children’s books. And, in the course of cataloging Judah Ben’s bookshelves in his bedroom, I came across a book I had forgotten about.
Are any of you, dear readers, familiar with the delightful book The Rainbow Fish written and illustrated by Swiss author Marcus Pfister?
The Rainbow Fish is a magnificent fish, the most beautiful one in all the ocean. To borrow from another children’s tale, he was the fairest one of all. And boy, did Rainbow Fish let his beauty go to his head.
He doesn’t swim like the ordinary fish- he preens. He’s got sea swag. He loves to swim and hear the oh’s and ah’s of the other fish as he passes by.
One day, a little blue fish cautiously approaches Rainbow Fish and makes a request. He asks Rainbow Fish is he would give him one of his beautiful shiny silver scales.
“Please give me one of your shiny scales. They are so wonderful, and you have so many.”
Rainbow Fish is aghast. How dare this little pipsqueak of a fish make such a request of him! With utter contempt, Rainbow Fish rejects the blue fish’s request. He not only says no, he demoralizes the little blue fish in front of all the other fishes.
Rainbow Fish thinks he’s completely justified in his actions, but the other fish find his response cruel. Sure, you can say no, but don’t make the little blue fish feel as though he’s unworthy.
The other fish begin to shun Rainbow Fish, a thing to which he is wholly unaccustomed. After a while, Rainbow Fish feels lonely. No one pays him any attention anymore. Finally, at his wits end, he asks for help and is directed to go across the sea to the wise octopus.
When Rainbow Fish arrives at the wise octopus’ cave, she is waiting for him already. The waves have carried his tale of woe to her already.
“This is my advice. Give a glittery scale to each of the other fish. You will no longer be the most beautiful fish in the sea, but you will discover how to be happy.”
This is not the advice the Rainbow Fish wants to hear. Give away all his precious glittery scales! They are a part of him. They are dear to him. How could he ever be happy without them? On this swim back home, a little fin taps him and there is the little blue fish tentatively asking for just one small scale.
That’s when Rainbow Fish has an epiphany. It’s only one small scale, and he has so many. So he gives one glittery scale away. The little blue fish is so excited by this that he swims back and tells all the other fish. Suddenly Rainbow Fish is swarmed with requests and before he knows it, he’s given all but one of his scales away. He had given all his most prized possessions away, and yet, he has no lack. He has a community of friends around him now.
There are many lessons in this book. However, I was struck by the storyline where the Rainbow Fish finds himself isolated, alone, and melancholy.
A lot of us find ourselves there right now. While the Rainbow Fish’s isolation and lack of community is of his own doing, ours is imposed. However, like Rainbow Fish, we can affect changes that build our community around us.
We will not be in isolation forever. Already the world is opening up and hope is springing back.
Now is the time of sifting. Sifting separates the finer particles from the less refined ones. It also denotes a time of close scrutiny or analysis. Here we are as a society sifting though the essentials of our lives, and the overwhelming thing I’m seeing over and over and over wherever I look is how essential our communities are to us.
Like Rainbow Fish, we can begin to build our community from our isolation. One small act of generosity on Rainbow Fish’s part acted like a domino effect in his life. If Rainbow Fish had held onto all his beautiful scales, he would be melancholy and alone. He had to give of himself to find his happiness.
What this story points out is that in order to overcome our own sadness, dissatisfaction, weariness, etc, we must get outside ourselves. And the quickest way to do that is to give, to be generous, particularly with the sincerity that comes when we are generous with the things which are dearest to us.
And like I’ve said in many posts here at Whiskers before, generosity has a cost to us. We often associate cost with monetary things, but when you take extra time to listen to someone regardless of how you’re feeling in that moment, it costs you, particularly if you’re actively engaging. And when you translate that listening into action, such as in the form of encouragement, it can cost you, too. However, I submit that when you give of yourself, the outcome is one of rejuvenation.
There are things dear to you, things deep within you, that are a part of you, that frame and fashion your identity. And those very aspects of you are the things that will build your community. But you must be generous with yourself. Give freely of yourself. Love wildly. Give liberally. That way, when this time of isolation is over, you will walk out into a strong, welcoming community where who you are is thoroughly appreciated.
What will your community look like when this imposed isolation is through? If you embrace this generous spirit, even from the confines of your home- making an extra phone call, sending a spontaneous gift to someone like chocolates or a board game, take some beautiful pictures and post them on your social media with a word of encouragement- I know you’ll have a thriving community around you.
How will you be generous today?
