Welcome to the World, Folktale Forest!

There are probably a million metaphors we could use for launching this project. Maybe the launch is like a big wedding—invite everyone, throw the confetti, but know that the day itself is infinitely less important than the marriage that will require patience, flexibility, care and attention. Or maybe it’s more like a baby taking her first steps—unsteady and wobbly, but the start of a whole new adventure. 

As we start this journey of building Folktale Forest, I want to relay one short story—a joke, really—as an example of what we won’t be doing! (Content warning: This is an exaggerated, boozy story.)

(Image description: five glasses of beer are lined up on a counter, ranging from light to dark brown. Images on our site are typically sourced from pexels.com, Canva, or made by Courtney.) 

This is one of those old tavern-type jokes, and I always imagine it taking place in Ireland or Scotland or another country with a long history of neighborhood pubs as gathering spaces. The bartender that day decides to run a contest, and lines up 12 pints and 12 shots and then 12 more of each and says, “Alright, any one of you who can come up and down all 48 of these drinks then stand up and sing us a song, well, I’ll let you drink for free for the rest of the year. And if you can’t, then you pay for double what you’ve drunk.” So, the bar erupts with the commotion of folks who want to try, and folks who think it can’t be done, and no one really notices the quiet barfly in the back who slips out the door. 

A couple of hours go by and everyone in the bar has given up and it's gotten quiet. No one has won the challenge. Then, the barfly swaggers back in and says, “Okay, let’s do this! Line them up!” And the bartender does, pouring and lining up all the drinks, and the challenger swallows them down as they’re poured, then climbs atop a bar stool and belts out a hearty rendition of the current song topping the Top 20 Billboard hits list. Everyone cheers and drinks are on the house!

But the bartender grabs the winner afterward and says, “You know, I noticed you left right after I announced the challenge. Where did you go?” 

And the winner says, “Oh, I popped out to the pub around the corner. I wanted a practice to make sure I could win the challenge first before I tried it.” 

Ha! 

And also, oof! I recognize myself in this story as someone who shows up knowing she can complete a challenge. That’s both a good thing—being capable and skilled is important to me and my community!—and it’s also likely a trauma response too. I’ve learned that asking for help, or that trying and failing, is not okay—and that’s simply not true.

(Image description: A screenshot of a Facebook post from Sad Ghost Club. A watercolor ghost is painting mountains at a table; the writing around the ghost reads, “It’s ok to be seen trying.”  Images on our site are typically sourced from pexels.com, Canva, or made by Courtney.) 

So, instead of waiting to “launch” until we’ve gone around the corner and completed all the challenges ahead, we're still curious about where this path will lead and how to tackle the obstacles we face.