Last night at 2:00am things became much more clear. How this is all going to work is falling into place. I think I have finally worked out the score for the entire project.
The 12 days 2 inspire experiment is an ongoing 12 day experiment lasting a full year. I will choose an endeavour and commit to undertake it for 12 days. When I am done I will commit to something new. What will I choose next? I don't know, I am not there yet. During each day I will be mindful of what my current 12 day commitment evokes; questions, themes, ideas, conclusions, musings and more. From this I will pose a question that I will write in a journal. In undertaking my 12 day commitment I will find a way to send this journal out into the world. So that by the end of the experiment there will be roughly 365 journals that have roamed freely asking questions spawned from my own personal experiment in self discovery. When the journals are returned, I will enter them into this blog. I do this to commit to commitment for the sake of passion, love and discovery. And know that in doing so I will inspire the same and more in peoples lives in whatever capacity they choose to experience this experiment.
Last night I got an email from a man named Bob. He had found 12 days journal 1 and 2 at the top of Pulpit Rock. They were not very well marked and he thought I had left them up there by accident rather than by design. He also posted a note at the bottom of the trail. He was very very sweet in giving them back to me and the lengths to which he went out of his way to do so. THANKS BOB!! this gave me the chance to better label them. I will be releasing them back into the wild tomorrow...not sure how yet. They had some wonderful things written in them. I am grappling with whether to enter them into this blog entry, or waiting for it to come back by mail as per the instructions on the back of the journal....hmmm. I will decide by the end of this entry.
I was reflecting today about how many times in my life I have wanted to do something like this experiment, but didn’t for one hundred and one reasons. I got to speaking with my friend Anthony who was lamenting how he wished he would buckle down and work on his music. I thought about the times I have been uninspired, lacking in motivation, caught in paralytic inertia. These times have never been as a result of a lack of good ideas! I have plenty of those. It has always been a lack of action. I am not talking about the chores I put off because they are tedious and fairly uninspiring like laundry and taxes. I am talking about that half painted picture, which I know exactly where the next stroke of paint goes. Or the afghan squares that I have knitted only a measly 2 out of 24 needed (far cooler than it sounds I assure you, take a look it is so funky!)
“What have you been putting off, procrastinating, that you would likely get much enjoyment out of doing?” became my question for 12 days journal #4. This is to help remind me that when I feel depressed as a result of lacking motivation to do things I love, I need to push through. That the sense of accomplishment, excitement, feelings of inspiration, fiery mind, feisty spirit, lowered stress levels, not to mention the end result (be it a painting, an afghan or a 1 year commitment to self discovery) are so very very worth it.
Oh...ok... here is what was written, but from now on we have to wait until the journals come back from the wild....OK?....OK.
12 days Journal #1 “How do you express love in your life?”
“Love. I like to smile at people. To see their response. That’s love!”
“Dancing”
“Every thought- Prayer
Every Move- Mindful
Everything- With Spirit in Heart”
Sigh, I couldn’t agree more. You guys rock!
12 days journal #2 “What inspires you?”
“What inspires me? I think it is pretty cool that this book w/ this question is sitting in a pretty inspiring spot!! Connection inspires me. To nature, to others, to animals. All connections. All that is in this world”
“Strawbale houses”
“Meeting my needs. Seeing someone make the best with what they have. Music“
”Impermanence.
the mystery unfolds
the magic appears
and I am inspired to watch
one present moment
evolve into the next“
”Color inspires me. My color is yellow.“
”Nelson inspires me to leave. Pulpit rock inspires me to see the beauty in Nelson“
What inspires me? This project, I am so glad I chose to do it. ;o)
Hmmm. How do I express love? A touch, a hug, a smile, taking care of those I love, listening when someone needs to say something (if I didn't really love them, on some level or another, I wouldn't bother...isn't that awful?). I write. I dream. I dance. I care. It's all love, IMO.
ReplyDeleteWhat inspires me? Exactly what you said up there about following through with the things I know will make me happy and keep me going and give me a sense of accomplishment. That inspires me to push through, too, when the lethargy hits. This was timely (although I'm behind), because I've just squandered the past 24 hours (kids are at their dad's) of freedom to do whatever I love to do, and I didn't really do any of it.
Today is not over. I can change what I do with the time I have left.
Namaste, Bernice.