How Friendships are Like Balancing on a SeeSaw

(In recognition of Friendship Day which happened to land on my birthday in 2024)

Do you remember the old wooden seesaws or teeter-totters as they were also called? The structure was simple, just a wood board with a centerpiece holding it up. Those boards would age and often were rough and I remember getting slivers in my thighs from sitting on them wearing a short, little dress.

These often rough and worn seesaws are symbolic of friendships. Life itself can be rough and worn but it can also be fun and exhilarating. Like the seesaw, life certainly has its ups and downs, and I remember well being careful to “catch” myself on the downward movement on the seesaw, to not crash my bottom too hard on the ground.

Friendship, like a seesaw, requires balance that constantly shifts between two people. At times, one friend might be soaring high, filled with joy, energy, and success, while the other might be weighed down with challenges, stress, or emotional burdens. In those moments, it can be just as fulfilling to be the one supporting from below, lifting your friend up, as it is to be the one experiencing the high.

But just like on a seesaw, if the balance isn’t carefully maintained, the ride can become unsteady. When one friend is carrying more emotional weight or baggage, adjustments need to be made. Sometimes, this means moving the “center” of the seesaw, offering more support, understanding, or patience. Other times, it might involve inviting others onto the seesaw, allowing the collective strength of several friends to help lift the one who is struggling. I remember adding one person, then another, and maybe yet another, trying to balance the seesaw with an older and definitely heavier playmate on the other end.

With more friends involved, the seesaw becomes a more stable, interconnected support system. Each person can take turns sharing the load, helping to elevate the one who’s down, and ensuring that the ride remains balanced and enjoyable for everyone. The beauty of friendship lies in this collective effort—knowing that no one must bear the weight alone, and that the highs and lows are shared experiences, supported by the strength of the entire group, teeter-tottering up and down in the summer breeze of life experiences.

International Friendship Day is on July 30 every year and focuses on unity and peace. It aims to promote understanding, tolerance, and inclusiveness among different communities and cultures.

Friendship day is celebrated on the first Sunday in August. In 2024, it was August 4^th which happened to be my birthday. What a better day than Friendship Day to land on my birthday. Friendship day is a day that encourages people across the world to connect with friends old and new. Some friendships change as we change with new experiences and explorations of the world, where some friends remain a constant in our lives.

I believe friendship is a relationship between two or more people who care about and support each other. It is built on trust, honesty, mutual respect and a lot of humor, understanding, openness, patience, forbearance, and forgiveness. Friends share common interests and experiences and enjoy crazy and fun times together. Now reach out to a friend or two and tell them how grateful you are to experience the seesaw of life with them while watching out for those slivers!

Sonja Wendt

Enhancing children’s sensitivity in human interactions one story at a time.