As I lay down in yoga recently, a line from a Rumi poem came to me:
Start a huge, foolish project
like Noah.It makes absolutely no difference
what people think of you.
It felt like a message. Nothing short of divine. I had been feeling around in the dark all year for my next e-course but coming up short. I wanted to create something that would delight + energize me. Something that would be a huge gift to my community. Something that connected all of us in a meaningful way.
My body buzzed with excitement as I realized what my next offering would be– Start a Foolish Project! And by foolish, I mean awesome. Foolish projects are those things we do simply for the delight and the joy.
They are things like creating a wish tree or hosting a Storybowl. They might be organizing a bubble flash mob in the park or a book club for people who only read self-help books. A foolish project might be buying that pink ukulele that caught your eye and learning to play it. A foolish project could be deciding to make 10,000 hats and give them away.
Foolish projects make us feel alive.
Here’s my foolish project:
I am going to gather a group of women here in Berkeley (you’re invited!), hire a choreographer and learn a cheesy dance routine. Emphasis on cheesy. Then, we’re going to flash mob it! Yes, like in those you tube videos. Doesn’t that sound like so much fun?!!!
Foolish projects appeal to my sense of play, my desire to feel alive + my love of stories. No matter what happens, you will always have the story about that time you were in a cheesy flash mob, right? Even if it was a total disaster. It really doesn’t matter.
What’s your foolish project?
Maybe you do something like my friend Maya Stein who decided to celebrate her 40th birthday by bicycling across the country dragging an old-fashioned typewriter and holding spontaneous poetry workshops.
Or maybe you are more like that woman I heard about last year that was craving community. She decided to drag her rarely used farm table to her backyard, hung some twinkly lights and extended an open invitation to her neighbors for a potluck dinner every Sunday evening at 6pm. She transformed her entire community this way.
Join me + discover the foolish project inside of you.
This 5 week course begins July 1st, 2013.
Early bird registration available now for $79!
If you are in the Bay Area and want to be a part of my cheesy flash mob, you are more than welcome. The more, the merrier. (superherosf@gmail.com)
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I’m all signed up and jazzed to the MAX!!!! oxo K
This sounds fabulous!!!!! I would love to do it, but too much going on right now. All good, creative stuff. I really really really hope you’ll do another round of this class after this – pretty please! With cherries and love notes on top. I’ll throw in a flying pig – for real! 🙂
Hi! Can you tell me more about the woman who invited everyone for a potluck every Sunday night?? I’m really drawn to this idea, but I need more info…the hows and the results!! Please.
what a great idea!!! I love those lines of the poem:)
Love the idea of this new class. Can you post a few more specifics about the class content?
I have always loved that Rumi quote and have it on my inspiration board over my desk. What a great idea for translating it into action. I love this idea and am already thinking about what my foolish projects would be!
Oh, this was perfect to read this afternoon! The wheels started turning before I even realized what was going on. I’ve already suggested a writers group for the adults and older kids in our home school group, one where we write together but also help each other with epublishing and brainstorming on how to get the word out and helping each other all around. Then I messaged a friend I haven’t seen in ages and asked if her family would be at a certain summer gathering. These things may not seem silly but considering the people involved… 🙂 I’m quite sure those inner wheels are still turning and I’m hopeful that more cool, playful and doable ideas emerge.
I love love this idea – I love the foolishness of it! Have just been made redundant from a job I loathed anyway so the idea of a creative and crazy/foolish project really sounds perfect at this particular point in time.
Love your spirit Andrea!
Wow! Sounds like a great idea! I’m not a naturally very creative person, but this sounds like fun. Gotta think about a foolish project of my own!
Howdy just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The text in your content seem to be running off the screen in Safari. I’m not sure if this is a format issue or something to do with internet browser compatibility but I thought I’d post to let you know. The design and style look great though! Hope you get the issue fixed soon. Thanks