I am going to re-engage in my goal to fold 1000 origami cranes. Only 10 a day over 100 days seems so doable. While I am folding, I can brainstorm about how to display them when I complete the 100 days. I am so excited to start this. I have already folded some, so I have a built in compassion valve.
Wow, 1000 origami cranes? I'm from Hiroshima and still live here. Your comments reminded me of a statue of a girl in the Peace Park. There are thousands of cranes around the statue, because people send these cranes from all over the world. I hope you'll enjoy your project.
The girl was Sadako Sasaki who was 2 years old when thebomb dropped on Hiroshima. At 12 she was diagnosed with leukemia due to radiation exposure. Eleanor Coerr wrote a book about her and the 1000 Cranes. It's a beautiful story of Sadako and her courage, even in illness, wanting to leave the world in a better place. Peace.
Linda, thank you for your explanation! I'm glad you read the story. That's true people all over the world fold paper cranes and dedicate them to her memorial, hoping for the world peace. Only, Sadako herself began to fold 1,000 cranes, because she believed she could recover from her illness if she folded 1,000 paper cranes. The sad part is, she passed away even though she folded more than 1,000 paper cranes. So, her friends decided to build a memorial in the peace park.
Oh, I don't know if I'm allowed to put a link here, but if you google "Children's peace monument," you'll surely find the photos of the statue, half surrounded by glass cases filled with paper cranes.
I love this idea. Many years ago, when my kids were young, we went to see Paul Winter perform a winter solstice concert at the Cathedral Church of St John the Divine in Manhattan. My mother was with us too and I’m sure she was totally out of her comfort zone. At one point he got the entire audience to howl at the moon like wolves. Can you imagine the sound in that magnificent space? At the rear of the church was a huge live evergreen tree decorated with what seemed like thousands of white origami cranes. So very beautiful. Happy folding!
Hi! My child (age 15) has been folding cranes for months and they are so beautiful. She finds peace, solace and healing through the act of folding hundreds of pieces of beautiful paper. She has them arranged in color schemes and size variations. She is reporting this activity as helping with anxiety (and is admittedly a bit obsessive about it as well). There are a few ideas for an installation piece in process here at our house. Maybe you both can compare notes🙌
Oh I love this! When my child was born we had a large rainbow of origami cranes hanging in a spiral at different heights from cotton sewing thread from their ceiling. When they woke we held them and blew the cranes to make them fly. The distraction usually quickly led to giggles or wide eyes, ending tears. It was a beautiful nursery feature too. Our child is obsessed with animals now.
is it safe to comment here or will I be ripped off. Do I have a man to protect me when I am home alone and afraid. what man would look at me now that I am old?
Hello IJ community! Better be thoughtful about my serious procrastination for starters. I am joining you all in this very special 100 day project. I am Salsa from Suleika’s book and consider many of you who share here brilliant minds. I marvel at the creative genius I see in print from you each day, your tender mercies, your delicate spirits, your collective and individual courage, strength and wisdom. I cannot put this off with this wonderful spring about to unfold so here is my 100 day project: I have ten grandchildren and I am going to record in my very own IJ journal “Wisdom from an Aging Tutu.” I have always wanted to write for children and there are none so special to me as my own tribe. For 100 days, I will share my life’s musings, lessons, failures and successes with my grands. One of the dearest possessions I consider irreplaceable is my own Grandma Billie’s daily journal of her life as a rancher’s wife in Montana. My one rule of engagement is to choose my 100 days-to free myself from the constricts of time.
Yes I enthusiastically say to checking in on us, Suleika. I pour over every word you write to us and this will be a huge gift to all who share here and love you bone deep.
I recently purchased a journal from the IJ project that Ms. Anne Francey painted so my first carrot will be her art. My second will be to continue to sit at this crowded table with a community I have come to love, beginning with Suleika-my fierce friend, mentor and sage. Oh how I cherish you!
I’m new to the community. I too am a grandma, called Nana, but wishing I was called YaYa or GiGi. Sounds much more something 💜 Your post inspired me to think about trying an idea like yours! Procrastination is something that wreaks havoc on me!
Salsa .. beautiful reflection!! I just finished reading Two Kingdoms and what a beautiful soul you ❤️ I am inspired by your project, love “100 days to free myself from the constricts of time”honored to be sharing this 100 day journey
Yes Kasie!! I am excited and honestly this morning was amazed how much writing I did after reflecting on several powerful quotes from Between Two Kingdoms. Will definitely use this space to check-in!!
I couldn’t think of anything creative, meaningful or inspiring for my 100 day project until I woke up this morning on the 2nd anniversary of my mother’s death. A beautiful, wonderful, giving woman who I haven’t been able to properly grieve because of the pandemic, being an ER nurse, caring for my 95 yr old dad and only recalling all the difficult and painful days. I put on one of her favorite rings today and will write, remember and celebrate her life for the next 100 days;I love you mom.❤️
I hope to dry one flower per day. First time attempting the 100-day project, but excited to try. I plan to paste each flower on a small watercolor square. Not sure yet if they will go in a scrapbook or a wall collage. 💕
Yes to threads! Chemo is knocking me flat right now, so I've set a goal that feels doable - a haiku a day. If I can't do a whole haiku on any given day, then a phrase that can become a haiku, and if even a phrase is too much, then one or two words to start.
I wish you all the best with your project, Katharine. Haiku are beautiful expressions of simplicity, rhythm, and brevity; my favourite form of poetry. I'm including one of mine in my upcoming second newsletter. I look forward to reading some of yours.
Haiku is a wonderful form of poetic expression! And yes to breaking everything into small, doable bites. Sending you positive healing energy during this challenging time.
I am here to represent a beautiful low bar that is enoughness incarnate (here's to Kate Bowler's work): I will sing a song each day, with the recording, perhaps look up lyrics if I don't know them all. It can be from any artist, era, and I can repeat songs that I feel called to repeat. There won't be a ta-da /product at the end, or maybe there will be. It's an adventure. Beginner's mind is yummy. And away we go.... !
So this is what organicity looks like if anyone reading needs a boost: the song that popped into my mind for today is "Sing" from Sesame Street. The lyrics are full of guidance for how to step into this experience. And one minor edit that I can sing of happy, OR sad vs not sad. This clip is so deeply touching. Singing with happy, sentimental tears: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxOft5QZjDI
Thank you for setting the tone! I look forward to starting the next 100 days with 10 minutes of meditation and closing each day with 5 minutes journaling on the highlight of the day. I am also recovering from major surgery. This is how I will recreate my health. 🌻
As a person who doesn’t feel at home with creative pursuits, I’m stumped. I really want to participate. I love taking photos so maybe I will try to take one beautiful photo each day and write one line to accompany it. I also love to write but not creatively. I could try to pursue that as well.
I have a 3 y/o and 6 y/o who love to make art, so we have endless paper scraps, broken crayons, tiny beads, and other craft wreckage on the floor. Instead of sweeping and recycling as I usually do, I am going to collect these remains and create a tiny collage each evening after they go to bed. Depending on the form these mini recycled pieces take, I will figure out a way to display them in our family's breathing space and invite the kids to look at them in the morning. My goal is to cultivate more joy in the mundane.
Nice! I also decided to do a small collage each day with some of the random things I have laying around my home that I don't want to throw away. Thanks for the inspiration🙌
After 15 years of writing classes and many false starts, I feel like I have a theme for a memoir. I decided I'm doing it because I want to, no expectations of anything more. So I'll write every day for 100 days. Maybe all those classes will pay off, of course I loved each one anyway. Looking forward to the project, thanks to everyone for participating.
I started my 100 day project today. My plan is to walk for 30 minutes each day in natural environments. I started my journey by setting a 30 minute timer to see how far that might take me, and the beauty I saw was a bit of late March snow. My accountability measure is a sticker on my calendar each day. My reward is a book on tape from the library to listen to each day-today I began Ron and Clint Howard’s The Boys. Your help in motivating this journey for me is huge. I am newly retired, and my knees did not hold up well to exercise this winter. I am learning to be gentle with myself, mindful, in the present moment. Thank you to all as I continue to learn from you.
Thank you for sharing your project and for the idea of putting a sticker on the calendar to mark off each day. I had been pondering how I was going to do that.
i wanted to learn to draw when i was in my late twenties but i couldn't get out of my head. someone suggested i try drawing with my non-dominant hand...which i did for a while, and it sort of stunned me. after a while i switched back to my dominant hand, but my non-dominant hand really taught me something about drawing that i can't put to words.
I inherited a Soviet era 35 mm camera made in Ukraine from my photographer brother. I think I’ll try to take one photo each day. I have some fresh Fuji color film but also some “vintage” black and white TriX film to use. Should be interesting, especially since I’m staying in south central Florida with my sister for the month of April. She was my stem cell donor four years ago (for MDS/AML). So far so good!
OMG it's almost here. Really? Yes, really. I have a writing project that has been dormant for too many years and I am going to use the next 100 days to revive it. I even contacted a woman I took a writing class with a few years back and asked if she'd be willing to help me pull a manuscript together. And she said Yes! I am not going to overload myself with expectations. But I am going to unearth my writings and tend to them daily. Like a garden. Well I've said it. I've made the commitment to myself and to all of you.
Yes, I realized after I wrote what I wrote that I just wrote that to hundreds of people. whoa. Go Laura! Go all of us! Thank you, Suleika and everyone!
I am going to re-engage in my goal to fold 1000 origami cranes. Only 10 a day over 100 days seems so doable. While I am folding, I can brainstorm about how to display them when I complete the 100 days. I am so excited to start this. I have already folded some, so I have a built in compassion valve.
I love the "compassion valve", so wise!
Wow, 1000 origami cranes? I'm from Hiroshima and still live here. Your comments reminded me of a statue of a girl in the Peace Park. There are thousands of cranes around the statue, because people send these cranes from all over the world. I hope you'll enjoy your project.
The girl was Sadako Sasaki who was 2 years old when thebomb dropped on Hiroshima. At 12 she was diagnosed with leukemia due to radiation exposure. Eleanor Coerr wrote a book about her and the 1000 Cranes. It's a beautiful story of Sadako and her courage, even in illness, wanting to leave the world in a better place. Peace.
Linda, thank you for your explanation! I'm glad you read the story. That's true people all over the world fold paper cranes and dedicate them to her memorial, hoping for the world peace. Only, Sadako herself began to fold 1,000 cranes, because she believed she could recover from her illness if she folded 1,000 paper cranes. The sad part is, she passed away even though she folded more than 1,000 paper cranes. So, her friends decided to build a memorial in the peace park.
Ty Ayako! Still remember that book and Sadako’s story. In her short life she touched so many. Hope all is well with you, wherever you are.
I would love to see that!
Oh, I don't know if I'm allowed to put a link here, but if you google "Children's peace monument," you'll surely find the photos of the statue, half surrounded by glass cases filled with paper cranes.
I love this idea. Many years ago, when my kids were young, we went to see Paul Winter perform a winter solstice concert at the Cathedral Church of St John the Divine in Manhattan. My mother was with us too and I’m sure she was totally out of her comfort zone. At one point he got the entire audience to howl at the moon like wolves. Can you imagine the sound in that magnificent space? At the rear of the church was a huge live evergreen tree decorated with what seemed like thousands of white origami cranes. So very beautiful. Happy folding!
I love this idea so much!
I love this. I still have, 10 years later, some origami I got in Cambodia and it's still a favorite.
Hi! My child (age 15) has been folding cranes for months and they are so beautiful. She finds peace, solace and healing through the act of folding hundreds of pieces of beautiful paper. She has them arranged in color schemes and size variations. She is reporting this activity as helping with anxiety (and is admittedly a bit obsessive about it as well). There are a few ideas for an installation piece in process here at our house. Maybe you both can compare notes🙌
Love this! I find the practice of folding them very meditative and calming as well.
Oh I love this! When my child was born we had a large rainbow of origami cranes hanging in a spiral at different heights from cotton sewing thread from their ceiling. When they woke we held them and blew the cranes to make them fly. The distraction usually quickly led to giggles or wide eyes, ending tears. It was a beautiful nursery feature too. Our child is obsessed with animals now.
Please teach us to make them!
I love this project!
Happy folding.
Fantastic idea
is it safe to comment here or will I be ripped off. Do I have a man to protect me when I am home alone and afraid. what man would look at me now that I am old?
Hello IJ community! Better be thoughtful about my serious procrastination for starters. I am joining you all in this very special 100 day project. I am Salsa from Suleika’s book and consider many of you who share here brilliant minds. I marvel at the creative genius I see in print from you each day, your tender mercies, your delicate spirits, your collective and individual courage, strength and wisdom. I cannot put this off with this wonderful spring about to unfold so here is my 100 day project: I have ten grandchildren and I am going to record in my very own IJ journal “Wisdom from an Aging Tutu.” I have always wanted to write for children and there are none so special to me as my own tribe. For 100 days, I will share my life’s musings, lessons, failures and successes with my grands. One of the dearest possessions I consider irreplaceable is my own Grandma Billie’s daily journal of her life as a rancher’s wife in Montana. My one rule of engagement is to choose my 100 days-to free myself from the constricts of time.
Yes I enthusiastically say to checking in on us, Suleika. I pour over every word you write to us and this will be a huge gift to all who share here and love you bone deep.
I recently purchased a journal from the IJ project that Ms. Anne Francey painted so my first carrot will be her art. My second will be to continue to sit at this crowded table with a community I have come to love, beginning with Suleika-my fierce friend, mentor and sage. Oh how I cherish you!
Hello, Salsa! Just read about you in Two Kingdoms!
I love this, Kasie!
Procrastination is one of my personal demons too, but we can get this together.
Hello Chuck, how are you doing on your project? I’ll send you an update of Day 8 if you send me yours😜
🥰❤️✍️ I’ll do my best to keep up with tender, heartfelt Jones’s❣️😉
Clever, Jeannie Jones Manzer💃
Hi Kasie,
I’m new to the community. I too am a grandma, called Nana, but wishing I was called YaYa or GiGi. Sounds much more something 💜 Your post inspired me to think about trying an idea like yours! Procrastination is something that wreaks havoc on me!
Best,
Mary
Salsa .. beautiful reflection!! I just finished reading Two Kingdoms and what a beautiful soul you ❤️ I am inspired by your project, love “100 days to free myself from the constricts of time”honored to be sharing this 100 day journey
Well let’s check in with each and see how goes it Karen! I know I’m going to learn a lot and be amazed by the IJ Community. How excited are you?
Yes Kasie!! I am excited and honestly this morning was amazed how much writing I did after reflecting on several powerful quotes from Between Two Kingdoms. Will definitely use this space to check-in!!
Awesome, pard♥️
I love this. I'm sure your family will be really happy. Enjoy!
Thank you, Karen
Salsa, this is so lovely! Be yourself
Thank you Janet♥️
I couldn’t think of anything creative, meaningful or inspiring for my 100 day project until I woke up this morning on the 2nd anniversary of my mother’s death. A beautiful, wonderful, giving woman who I haven’t been able to properly grieve because of the pandemic, being an ER nurse, caring for my 95 yr old dad and only recalling all the difficult and painful days. I put on one of her favorite rings today and will write, remember and celebrate her life for the next 100 days;I love you mom.❤️
This is lovely and dear. Take care of yourself Lisa.
That will be a beautiful tribute to your mom. All the best to you and your dad Lisa.
A beautiful plan and such a wonderful way to remember and celebrate your mom!
I hope to dry one flower per day. First time attempting the 100-day project, but excited to try. I plan to paste each flower on a small watercolor square. Not sure yet if they will go in a scrapbook or a wall collage. 💕
what a unique and appealing idea, hope we'll see pictures.
Very original!
Gorgeous
Yes to threads! Chemo is knocking me flat right now, so I've set a goal that feels doable - a haiku a day. If I can't do a whole haiku on any given day, then a phrase that can become a haiku, and if even a phrase is too much, then one or two words to start.
This will be wonderful. My Christmas gift from one of my sons was his own haiku. A treasure!
I wish you all the best with your project, Katharine. Haiku are beautiful expressions of simplicity, rhythm, and brevity; my favourite form of poetry. I'm including one of mine in my upcoming second newsletter. I look forward to reading some of yours.
Haiku is a wonderful form of poetic expression! And yes to breaking everything into small, doable bites. Sending you positive healing energy during this challenging time.
Yes. The stages of a haiku… beautiful.
I am here to represent a beautiful low bar that is enoughness incarnate (here's to Kate Bowler's work): I will sing a song each day, with the recording, perhaps look up lyrics if I don't know them all. It can be from any artist, era, and I can repeat songs that I feel called to repeat. There won't be a ta-da /product at the end, or maybe there will be. It's an adventure. Beginner's mind is yummy. And away we go.... !
Love how ephemeral this is! Truly about the process, the journey, the experience ❤️
So this is what organicity looks like if anyone reading needs a boost: the song that popped into my mind for today is "Sing" from Sesame Street. The lyrics are full of guidance for how to step into this experience. And one minor edit that I can sing of happy, OR sad vs not sad. This clip is so deeply touching. Singing with happy, sentimental tears: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxOft5QZjDI
“ Don’t worry that it’s not good enough for anyone else to hear” - this struck powerfully. Thank you for sharing simple yet profound guidance.
Omgosh, love your idea and still love Sesame Street. 💗
Singing a song every day will be so wonderful for your spirit!
I love this! Your Vagus nerve will thank you.
thank you for that reminder. I've just started learning about polyvagal theory :-)
Fabulous.
Thank you for setting the tone! I look forward to starting the next 100 days with 10 minutes of meditation and closing each day with 5 minutes journaling on the highlight of the day. I am also recovering from major surgery. This is how I will recreate my health. 🌻
As a person who doesn’t feel at home with creative pursuits, I’m stumped. I really want to participate. I love taking photos so maybe I will try to take one beautiful photo each day and write one line to accompany it. I also love to write but not creatively. I could try to pursue that as well.
Creativity can come in many forms. I like the idea, expressed by Suleika, that this doesn't have to be something "big".
I don’t have bandwidth for big so this is perfect for me!
Love this idea and the lovely discussion here!
That photo a day and one line of writing...I would love to see that.
Thank you for the encouragement! I am excited to see what becomes of this!
I am doing the same and for similar reasons. I did two practice days and was surprised that I ended up writing more than a line ..
That is fantastic! I miss writing, and doing something creative just for the sake of it. I love knowing someone else is doing the same thing as me.
I took pictures every day for a specific period and LOVED it, hope you do too.
Did you have a specific theme or did you just take a photo of anything that happened to strike you that day?
I have a 3 y/o and 6 y/o who love to make art, so we have endless paper scraps, broken crayons, tiny beads, and other craft wreckage on the floor. Instead of sweeping and recycling as I usually do, I am going to collect these remains and create a tiny collage each evening after they go to bed. Depending on the form these mini recycled pieces take, I will figure out a way to display them in our family's breathing space and invite the kids to look at them in the morning. My goal is to cultivate more joy in the mundane.
Nice! I also decided to do a small collage each day with some of the random things I have laying around my home that I don't want to throw away. Thanks for the inspiration🙌
Beautiful!!
❤️
After 15 years of writing classes and many false starts, I feel like I have a theme for a memoir. I decided I'm doing it because I want to, no expectations of anything more. So I'll write every day for 100 days. Maybe all those classes will pay off, of course I loved each one anyway. Looking forward to the project, thanks to everyone for participating.
I love this!
Beautiful 📝
You can do it!
I started my 100 day project today. My plan is to walk for 30 minutes each day in natural environments. I started my journey by setting a 30 minute timer to see how far that might take me, and the beauty I saw was a bit of late March snow. My accountability measure is a sticker on my calendar each day. My reward is a book on tape from the library to listen to each day-today I began Ron and Clint Howard’s The Boys. Your help in motivating this journey for me is huge. I am newly retired, and my knees did not hold up well to exercise this winter. I am learning to be gentle with myself, mindful, in the present moment. Thank you to all as I continue to learn from you.
Perfect time of year for this. I hope you'll update as you go, wonderful idea.
Walking in nature is so healing and meditative. Enjoy your 100-day journey!
I'm also doing walking! Moving with you, friend!
I’m so glad to hear about another walker! Let me know if you would like to share stories.
Thank you for sharing your project and for the idea of putting a sticker on the calendar to mark off each day. I had been pondering how I was going to do that.
Thank you for your comment, Gina. I am starting with some RBG stickers! I am an elementary teacher at heart, so stickers work for me.
In an umpteenth attempt to allow myself to actually LEARN how to draw, I am embracing beginner’s mind and drawing a single tree every day.
And gentle nudges would be so welcome.
Me too Rebecca! We’ve got this!
i wanted to learn to draw when i was in my late twenties but i couldn't get out of my head. someone suggested i try drawing with my non-dominant hand...which i did for a while, and it sort of stunned me. after a while i switched back to my dominant hand, but my non-dominant hand really taught me something about drawing that i can't put to words.
One watercolour drawing a day toward my children's book. Thankyou for all you do to support others on their creative journeys.
Watercolor for me....everyday. I’m excited to begin!!!
I inherited a Soviet era 35 mm camera made in Ukraine from my photographer brother. I think I’ll try to take one photo each day. I have some fresh Fuji color film but also some “vintage” black and white TriX film to use. Should be interesting, especially since I’m staying in south central Florida with my sister for the month of April. She was my stem cell donor four years ago (for MDS/AML). So far so good!
❤️
👊
OMG it's almost here. Really? Yes, really. I have a writing project that has been dormant for too many years and I am going to use the next 100 days to revive it. I even contacted a woman I took a writing class with a few years back and asked if she'd be willing to help me pull a manuscript together. And she said Yes! I am not going to overload myself with expectations. But I am going to unearth my writings and tend to them daily. Like a garden. Well I've said it. I've made the commitment to myself and to all of you.
hooray, Laura! Good to see you here! xoxo
Annette!! Small world and what an unexpected and wonderful surprise! Should we think about a once a week (in person?) check in?
Hi, I just emailed you! what a wonderful way to re-connect.....💚🧡❤️
May your writing garden blossom beyond your wildest imagination!
646 words today not bad for day 1 and thanks to all of you who have sent hearts
Saying it is the first big step!
Yes, I realized after I wrote what I wrote that I just wrote that to hundreds of people. whoa. Go Laura! Go all of us! Thank you, Suleika and everyone!
")
huggs
One step at a time... one sentence at a time. Encouragement appreciated :~}