End of June Project

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Some of you have said that my June Project, now complete, inspired other creative ideas on how to teach the discipline of showing up.

That's the point. Of this blog. (To get you thinking.) But it's really wonderful when I actually hear about these things rather that y'all just stalking around.

And it was really great to watch this idea succeed right here at my house. Spoiler alert: both kids are still keeping up with their projects, though it's now July and no schedule is enforced. Simon is reading and blogging away, and you really should stop over there, comment, and make his day. Theo continues to write, though, true to his nature, a hundred new ideas have sidestepped him. That's okay; the drawings he's producing are worth the segue. I put my reading on somatic psychotherapy to the side for a time, though I did manage to strike up an email conversation with the author of the book I studied. Later, I found out that this is a pretty big deal, as she's well-known in the field. It pays to be naive and curious.

The June Project was three weeks of showing up for a half hour each day to work on a project of our choosing. We needed a ceremonial finish to such good and solid work, so on June 29, we gathered in the living room and made presentations to each other. Possibly we wore pajamas, though I'd like to think I tried to make this event seem worthy of clothes. Simon and I took turns describing our projects and what we learned, and Theo read an excerpt from his writing. (Somehow I managed to tear up while reporting on the amazing things I had learned.) I then took the opportunity to review what I hoped everyone had learned by doing: that sometimes showing up means staring out the window or picking your nose for a bit; that sometimes you have to throw away a day or two's worth of work, but you need to clear that out of you before the good stuff could break through. And finally, that perseverance pays off, and is even a little addicting. Thank you, June Project, for rewarding your apprentices.

Comments

  1. Greg ScheerJuly 18, 2014 at 9:32 PM

    I'm very proud of all of you! I think of your "showing up" phrase most days I sit down to write. It's not particularly glamorous or quick work, but if I keep showing up, maybe I'll produce something as cool as you guys.

    ReplyDelete

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