day 33 - acknowledgement

Acknowledgement begins for me, with the actual ground beneath my feet.

If you zoom in on this box, you’ll see the lid is a map of North America — the continent I stand upon. The land where I forage wisdom and feel a deep sense of connection.

It was violently appropriated from the peoples who stewarded it with respect and reciprocity for millennia — it is land disrupted, divided, and claimed through colonization.

And still, the land gives in abundance.

May we learn to treat it like a mother, and all its beings like family.

Today, I practice acknowledgement by cultivating respectful relationships, learning about historical and ongoing harms, and participating — however imperfectly — in the ongoing work of creating a more equitable and inclusive future.

day 32 - patience

"Wine had to be grapes first. Diamonds had to be rocks first. Butterflies had to be caterpillars first. Rainbows had to be storms first." 

- Matshona Dhliwayo

This quote points to patience as a way of living in time. In my life, origami makes that teaching tactile. 

It's a challenge - resisting the urge to hurry toward the resolution, to see the finished form. But paper cannot be hurried without harm. Each fold asks for presence, not force.

The delight is discovering that when I slow down a little, the form emerges - cleaner, truer, and with less struggle.

In this way origami becomes a practice in nonviolence toward the material, toward the process and toward myself.

Today I'm practicing patience by choosing precision over pressure.

day 31 - praising

"Praise, my dear one. Let us disappear into praising. Nothing belongs to us." 

- Rainer Maria Rilke

Praising is a way of speaking from the heart — of noticing what quietly sustains us and naming it with gratitude.

Specifically today, I offer my sincere praise to the Mahatma Gandhi Canadian Foundation for World Peace for creating and sharing the 64 reflection prompts and support materials for the Season for Nonviolence.

I would not have ventured into sharing this creative meditation without the container they have offered. These daily reflections are deepening my understanding of nonviolence — or, in Sanskrit, ahimsa — revealing it not only as restraint from harm, but as a daily active practice of care.

Sunflowers symbolize loyalty, devotion, resilience, and hope. Turning continually toward the sun, they remind me to orient myself toward warmth, generosity, and joy.

Today, I offer this folded sunflower in gratitude — praise for those who create and hold spaces where peace can be practiced together.

day 30 - amends

Amends begin with acknowledging harm.

They are accomplished when we repair with dignity.

This emerald green heart reminds me that amends are, first and foremost, emotional and relational. They are about reestablishing trust and care. 

The pretty gold details echo the Japanese art of Kintsugi which honors what was broken by making the repair visible and meaningful. 

It says, we can't go back to how things were. 

We can go forward mended, changed, and more intentional. 

Today I'm practicing amends by asking, where can I make amends in my life in a way that adds care, not just covers cracks? 

What would that look like?

Heart Pendant - Fumiaki Shingu

day 29 - forgiveness

"Forgiveness is a reflection of loving yourself enough to move on." 

- Steve Maraboli

Forgiveness doesn’t erase what happened —

it allows something new to emerge. 

Once paper is folded, the mark remains, a memory held in form.

But sometimes a mistake becomes the opportunity for new growth, expansive and unanticipated.

Today I’m practicing forgiveness, not by undoing the past, but by allowing it to unfold differently.

Heart Pendant, Fumiaki Shingu

Double Leaves, Nana Takahashi

day 28 - listening

"I come here to listen, to nestle in the curve of a root, to hear the stories of the plants, that they might guide my own." 

- Robin Wall Kimmerer

Listening allows me to learn from the wisdom of others.

Last year, when our modern battery-operated seeder broke at the greenhouse, the work still needed to continue. The seeds needed homes where their roots could stretch. My boss needed the planting done on time.

I had heard stories from previous generations, when seeds were tapped directly from the glassine bags they used to come in.

So I folded a small traditional Japanese origami cup and kept going - tap, tap, tapping out more than 10,000 onion and leek seeds by hand.

It was a simple tool, but it allowed the work to move forward without frustration or force.

As I listened to the rhythm of my finger against the paper, I felt connected to all those before me who began gardens and meals in the same way - by listening carefully to seasons, elders, materials, and the needs of their community.

This little folded cup became a vessel for attention.

Today I’m practicing that same listening: hearing the stories of others, learning through their perspectives, and noticing how I might carry that knowledge forward to meet the needs of my community today.

day 27 - generosity

"Generosity is the most natural outward expression of an inner attitude of compassion and loving-kindness."

 - H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama

Generosity isn't limited to giving things.

Sometimes it's sharing time, or ideas, or joy.

The Maneki-neko welcomes good fortune - and reminds us that happiness multiplies when invited.

Today I'm practicing generosity by passing along a smile and a little good luck.

Big Lucky Cat by Kamikey on YouTube