Stanley and the Paper Clips

It seems to be so easy to get along for some people. For others, no matter how hard they try, there is always something that seems to be missing.1

It is hard to think of anybody who did as much work to be with people as Stanley. Lots of people knew Stanley. All kinds of people knew Stanley. In fact, almost everybody knew Stanley.2

Whether he was at school, in his sixth grade class, or at the shopping mall, or at his church, he was known as “Stanley the Paper Clip.” Not only did Stanley look like a paper clip, with his neatly startched clothes that made him look like he was always at attention, but Stanley had started a business selling paper clips. 3

He began with two boxes of paper clips that had cost him $1.69. At first he sold the small clips for two cents and the big clips for a nickel, but with the increase in the cost of living he upped his prices to 5 cents and 10 cents. Stanley carried a bunch of paper clips when he left his house in the morning and always had a pocket full of coins when he came home for supper. 4

People knew Stanley because he asked them all to buy his paper clips. None of the kids would play with Stanley because he was never any fun. He spent so much time with his paper clips that he began to act like a paper clip. If you didn’t want to buy a paper clip, Stanley didn’t know what else to say. It would make Stanley angry when people didn’t like him. With all the paper clips he sold, he thought they should think he was pretty important. At school, several boys in the class would tease him by moving their fingers together as if they were clipping something. This would make the other kids laugh. Even Mrs. Buford looked like she was starting to smile. Instead of getting mad at the boys, like some teachers would have, she used this as an opportunity to help “Clip”, I mean Stanley. 5

Mrs Buford talked with Stanley after class. She said “Your idea about selling paper clips is a good one, and everybody would agree that you are the best paper clip salesman in the sixth grade if not in the whole school, but you are missing some important experiences. You need to learn to play, to have fun, and to make friends.”6

“You mean to be with people without my clips?” Stanley asked.7

“Yes, Stanley, you are going to need to make friends without selling your paper clips. I am going to ask you to give me all your paper clips when you come to school in the morning and you can have them back at the end of the day. Furthermore, I am going to talk to your parents and ask them to make sure that you spend part of your weekends being with people without your paper clips”.8

You can imagine what this meant for Stanley. He looked terrified.9

“Without paper clips?” he asked, as if he couldn’t believe his ears. 10

“Stanley, you are to going to make friends by leaving your paper clips with me. You will give them in the morning, or else leave them at home. Its possible that they just haven’t thought about how seriously you have been taking your new business.”11

Stanley didn’t know what to say. How would he face people? What would he do? In the corrider, he put his hands in his empty pocket and put his head down as he walked past Jimmy. 12

“Hi ‘Clip’, Jimmy said. 13

“It looks like I am not ‘Clip’anymore, Stanley said sadly. Mrs. Buford took my paper clips away.” 14

“Wow, that’s too bad. Now your just like the rest of us,” said Jimmy.15

“Hey Tommy and Frank, did you hear what mean old Buford did to Stanley? She took his clips away.”16

The boys walked along with Stanley to hear the rest of his story, impressed with this new turn, but more because they were interested in all the things they didn’t know about Stanley. Stanley had allowed them to see his feelings for the first time. Stanley had begun to act like a human being instead of a paper clip.