Exploring the Dry Gables Series - "On Your Feet"
The stories from the two Dry Gables Series include an accompanying post from the Sparkle Schoolhouse Educator, Meredith Markow. Each post offers insights into the characters and dynamics of the stories, along with suggestions for how to use the stories as parenting or teaching tools!
Hello, Sparkle Grownups! Nice for you to join me as we to get to know Max Denken, Dry Gables’ newspaper man, featured in the story, "On Your Feet" from the Dry Gables: Hands Together collection. Our friend, Max can be a little harder to understand, so let’s get right to it!
Max can be a bit enigmatic, and he doesn’t easily let it be known what he is thinking or inwardly experiencing. But don’t be fooled. Even if he is quiet or sometimes even a little socially insecure, he is contemplative and very sensitive. Max often experiences much more than he reveals. Paramount for our Max is that he wants to understand; it doesn’t matter what it is, he wants to get to the bottom of it. You will often find Max reading or thinking or tinkering or figuring things out. He wants to make sense or the world and he wants to know what is True.
Max is saying: “I want to know the truth!”
In our story we hear:
He wanted to tell EB that they would fight for their article because it was TRUE – they knew it was TRUE and they would continued to push it forward until everyone agreed that it was TRUE. He wanted to yell this to EB and then to everyone within earshot.
Because our Maxes spend so much time trying to understand, get it right and know what is true, they can get stuck. Their thinking can become ‘over-thinking’ and they can begin to doubt themselves or the world, and they can become insecure and indecisive. And while he may not show us, it can be a very lonely and uncomfortable place for Max to be. This is what happened for Max, when he knew what was true, but he couldn’t articulate to the Pinkertons:
He just looked at the floor in that moment and said, “I see.” Immediately the flustered feeling became overwhelm, and fear – he was afraid of these men – he could feel it. He didn’t want to be afraid – he wanted to be brave – to be tough – to stand up to them and send them on their way. But he couldn’t – he just … stood still, blinked a few times… and said, “I - well – understand.”
Max … felt … terrible.
And this is where Johann Bauer comes in to save the day! Johann brings confidence, but above all, he brings action and will. His message is, “Just do it!” And he does. He encourages Max to walk, and to trust that the right decision will come to him in the moment if he can trust the moment. Maxes don’t always feel safe and secure in the world, and when knowing more doesn’t help, it can be destabilizing and no amount of thinking can help. When that happens for Max, the best course of action is, well, any course of action. “Just do it!”
“We should walk.” he said, “When I don’t know what to do … I let my feet do the thinking,”
“Ah yes…” said Max as he too stood up, “Thinking on your feet.”
“What is that?” asked Johann.
“Oh – thinking on your feet – it is a saying – it means that you … know what to do in the moment.”
Johann says to Max, “Trust the moment.”
When Max realizes that he does not have to know absolutely everything before he can act, and when he understands that he will be able to solve problems as they arise, he finds his confidence. It is a confidence that comes from connection to the world, and not just from a stream of ideas. It is the confidence that comes so naturally to Johann.
What we hope for our Maxes is that they can become more self-confident and decisive.
We want them to know that do not have to know absolutely everything before they can act.
We want him to have faith in himself and to trust the world.
And thanks to Johan, he can! When you notice your little Max is over-thinking a concern or if you find him lacking confidence in his competence, you can call on the Johann in you to help!
Here’s what you can do to bring a little Johann to your Max:
Walk and Talk: Go for a walk. Go for walks. And lots of them. Walking and talking or just walking. Walk.
Walk some more.
WoodsWork: Go into the woods. It is very hard to get stuck in your head when the birds are chirping and the wind is blowing. Feel the solidity of the earth under your feet. Climb a mountain. Experience that the world is so much bigger than just ideas.
Just Do It!: Do hard work together. Build something. Engage the will. Move a tree. Heck, move a mountain. Do something that requires more muscle than thought.
Karaoke!: Have fun with voiceovers. Practice using your voice with confidence. Be a star. Be confident. Use a mic!
Dare or Dare!: Play Truth or Dare, but without the Truth option. That’s the easier of the two for Max, but not so much the dare. So, make it safe to do something daring. Do something a little scary with your Max. Just a little scary.
…then try something a little bit scarier…
Then walk some more!
Our Maxes need our Johanns! Hands Together!
Johan helps Max to believe in himself and to have faith in the world.
He helps him to think on his feet.
About the Author
Meredith Markow
Meredith has been working with adults and children of all ages for the past 25 years as a Waldorf Teacher and Educational Consultant. She received a B.A. with a focus on child development and child psychology from the University of Michigan, in 1984, an M.A. Ed from Washington University in 1987, and her Waldorf Teaching Certificate from the Lehrerausbildung (Teacher Training) in Nurnberg, Germany in 1989. She was certified as a Living Inquiries Facilitator in 2014, and she completed her formal teaching certification with The Enneagram Institute in 2014. Her work in the classroom and with individuals and groups is designed to help people of all ages to drop self-limiting beliefs to live a more joyful and compassionate life.
