A Tricky Riddle? Or Simply Fate?
What do Taylor Swift, Grace Lin, Sheldon Cooper, and Calm Education, all have in common? No….this isn’t some sort of tricky riddle! They all have to do with a crazy rabbit hole I found myself digging into the other day after a car ride with my daughter.
Let me explain….
If I am going to listen to Taylor Swift, it is usually with my daughter on our way to one of her many activities throughout the week. We listen to Taylor in the car, almost always singing along. Taylor’s songs are easy to pick up on and her words seem to appeal to everyone, at every stage of life. While the tunes are catchy and fun, I particularly enjoy the poetry behind the lyrics.
The other day, we were listening to a song called “Invisible String,” released on Taylor’s Folklore album in 2020. There’s a story in this song about someone that she fell in love with, that she may have known previously, but didn’t realize the feelings for a while. She talks about the metaphorical connection she had to this person all along….through ups and downs of other relationships. And, she mentions that there may have been an “invisible string” tying the two of them together.
This made me think about one of my favorite children’s authors, Grace Lin. My hands-down, all time favorite book of hers to read aloud in my classroom was Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. It is possibly one of the best books I have ever read, let alone aloud to children.
Minli is the main character, who runs away from home to find good fortune for her poor family and village. Along the way, she meets many different characters that help her find “The Old Man of the Moon” so she can convince him to “change her destiny.”
I love how Grace Lin uses different Chinese Legends to tell the story of Minli’s adventures and explain the theme of connections that are “woven” throughout her experiences. In fact, based on a little bit of my research, it seems that the character of The Old Man of the Moon is inspired by the Chinese legend of Yue Lao, the God of Marriage and Love, that unites predestined couples with a silk cord.
In Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, Minli learns that The Old Man of the Moon, is in charge of tying “Red Strings of Destiny” to small clay figures. These figures represent many of the characters in the book and connect everyone together. The red strings don’t necessarily represent the romantic connections that Yue Lao makes and that the original legend tells. But, the idea that we are all connected by an invisible red thread to all those people we are destined to touch in some way is such a lovely idea to me! This is why I enjoy this story so much!
In fact…..one year, shortly after I read this story aloud to my students, we discovered that a classmate was leaving the school year early to go visit family for an extended stay out of the country. She wasn’t going to finish the school year with us or be around for the summer with her friends. She was excited about this opportunity but nervous at the same time.
As part of her going away gift, the entire class sat in a circle and tossed a red ball of yarn around. As they tossed it back and forth to their classmate, they held onto the string and shared something that they admired about their friendship. This activity was supposed to show that while we were going to miss her, our connection was always going to be there. At the end, we all looked like little clay figures holding onto The Old Man of the Moon’s Red Strings of Destiny. Grace Lin’s writing connected us all together in such a special way, just like the characters of her book!
So anyway…..as I drove with my daughter that afternoon, Taylor Swift’s poetry reminded me of this really special memory in my classroom and I instantly fell in love with the song!
I taught and connected with students and their families for over 20 years in a public school classroom within three states and four schools. And now, I continue to make connections with students, families, and other educators in my new position as a Social Emotional Learning Coach. My family jokes with me that I am like the mayor when I go out to dinner or to the grocery store. So many people say hello to me and I often bump into students or families that I haven’t seen since they left my classroom years ago. Listening to Taylor’s songs made me wonder what my little clay figure would look like among the Old Man of the Moon’s display! I bet it would be pretty tangled and twisted!
But that’s the beauty of this story and legend! Grace Lin uses the symbolism of the Red String of Destiny in a few of her books. And in each version of her red string stories, she demonstrates that the thread may stretch or tangle but never breaks. Our connections to people come and go, but the impact we make on them stays. The things that we say, the things that we do for others, no matter how big or small, make a difference for the people and the world around us!
This is a big reason why I chose the mandala as my logo for Calm Education. I want my business to help bring people together, make meaningful connections, and work toward creating a more peaceful world.
The word mandala can be translated in Sanskrit to “circle” or “sacred center.” The circular geometric design is used in ceremonies and meditation practices and can be found in many different cultures. The Mandala is believed to have been originated by Buddhist monks that create elaborate designs made of colored sand during their ceremonial meditations. For Buddhists, mandalas represent the universe, transforming suffering to joy. And since these Buddhist monks believe that nothing in the universe is permanent, they often destroy their mandalas. Shortly after creation, the beautiful and intricate mandalas are ceremoniously placed in a river or stream. Or the grains of sand are swirled together into an unrecognizable rainbow of color. No matter whether mandalas are found in Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Native American, or other ways of life, they seem to be symbols of unity, harmony, and the interconnectedness of being, with everything in the design being connected in the center.
Mandalas, red strings of destiny, and Taylor Swift’s invisible strings bring up the idea of everyone being connected in some way and that is really appealing to me! Despite our skin color, our choice in partner, our culture, our heritage, or gender…..no matter what and whether we like it or not, we are connected to each other and we are connected to nature. What a beautiful realization and concept!
I’m not the first one to be inspired by Taylor Swift’s song, Invisible String. I will admit that I did a lot of Googling the other day when I really started thinking about this song. In my research I learned that TikTok has generated millions of views about the “Invisible String Theory,” influenced by the queen of No. 1 hits herself! This TikTok trend tells many stories of people crossing paths millions of times before eventually coming together when the universe decides it is time.
The legend of The Old Man of the Moon and The Invisible String Theory are fun to think about but they are metaphorical concepts. It got me thinking about what science had to say about all of this! Where’s the proof, right? If you enjoy watching The Big Bang Theory, you may know about the character and physicist, Sheldon Cooper, and his life-long work to prove “The String Theory.”
From my reading online, I learned that “The String Theory” says reality is made up of vibrating strings, smaller than atoms and electrons. These strings vibrate, twist, and fold, producing many effects in life, including gravity. It is sometimes called “The Theory of Everything” and is meant to describe all forces and matter.
Without a true physicist’s mind, I am simplifying the meaning of this theory and my scientist friends out there reading this are probably cringing. But, I do know that while it doesn’t quite describe how everything is connected, “The String Theory” does attempt to explain why things happen the way they do.
However, I also learned that this theory is highly criticized in the math and science world. I think eventually even the fictional Sheldon Cooper gave up on trying to prove it. The existence of invisible strings to explain why things happen in the world is a tough one, so I’m not surprised!
All of these legends, stories, pieces of art, songs, and scientific research still leave me wondering….
Is everyone I’ve ever met or ever spent time with connected to me for a reason?
Is it invisible strings that bind us together?
Or do we just call it fate, kismet, or coincidence?
I think the phrase “human nature” should say it all! We are humans! We are part of nature! We are all connected to the universe in some way. And whether or not we act accordingly, what we do, what we model, and what we say can make a positive difference for others. Educators, parents, and anyone working in the field with humans, live and breathe this reality everyday!
You might know me well. Or you might not know me at all. But the fact that you decided to spend time reading this blog about my dive down rabbit holes in search of red threads and answers to deep questions, has now connected us. And, as Taylor Swift sings,
