Local author seeks to promote connection and positivity through storytelling

Havre resident and physical therapist Larry Plant released a book last month, "Bird Food for Life," a collection of little stories that Plant wrote for people of all ages in the hope that it will bring people together and inspire them to live more healthy and more enjoyable lives.

Plant, originally from Missoula, said he started writing very short stories about things that happened in his life in early 2022 after working at Lake Havasu in Arizona, a place he said was profoundly beautiful and inspired him to try to find a way to connect with people through storytelling.

"I started writing some little stories, and then started sharing some stories and I realized that maybe there was something to that," he said.

The stories, which range from a paragraph to a few pages in length, talk about many things, including his encounters with people, beautiful scenes he's encountered, and observations that prompted him to seek deeper meaning in everyday things.

He said he started telling his patients these stories during their physical therapy sessions, and they helped him forge meaningful connections with people in a way he hadn't seen before, which made him more confident that his work could have a positive impact on people.

One of the centerpiece stories of the book, which inspired the title, paints a vivid memory of his, driving between Lake Havasu and Kingman as the sun set.

He said he was eating dill-pickle flavored sunflower seeds, and a funny thought crossed his mind; "Hey, I'm eating bird food," he said, chuckling.

He said he'd started eating them in an effort to lose weight, but the more he thought about how much he liked them and how amusing he found that, he thought about what sustains people and their lives, and one of those things, is stories.

"Bird Food is the stories we tell to each other. It is the simple sustenance that allows me and you to live for today, prepare for tomorrow, and plan for a bigger, better, brighter and more beautiful today, tonight, tomorrow, and the day after that," a summary of his book reads.

Plant said the stories, many of them humorous, are based on his experiences, but he uses them as allegories to say something about life, growth, health, beauty, connection and more.

He said he sometimes uses words differently than other people, and the back of his book includes some of his own definitions for the words he uses to communicate his ideas.

He said the book is written from a place of positivity and, despite its unique style, is written for all ages, and that inclusivity arose from his goal of promoting connection.

"My goal is to bring people together," Plant said.

A running theme of the book is the simple joys of meeting other people. In fact, the foreword of the book, written by Chicken Soup for the Soul Co-Author Jack Canfield, who Plant said helped him through the publishing process, said it was Plant's ability to connect with people, brighten their day that convinced him of the value of his work.

"It has been fun for me to be a small part of this project because Larry and his words have taught me to step out of my own little box and take a fresh look at life, the relationships that I am in, and how I can take a more active role in my very own life," Canfield said in his foerward.

Plant's book was released on Amazon last month, and can also be found locally at The Key Boutique in the Holiday Village Mall, as well as the gift shop of Northern Montana Hospital.