"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one."
- John Lennon
Dreaming isn't always reaching for something far away. Sometimes it's simply listening for what wants to emerge.
This little kitty, in his galaxy window, feels to me like the threshold between waking and dreaming - a liminal space where imagination, hope and possibility live.
Today I'm practicing dreaming by reminding myself that there is more out there than what I can see right now.
Healing isn't something I can force. It seems to happen when there is enough space, safety and support for things to settle.
This layered pin speaks to me of a history. It reminds me that healing doesn't hide the scars or the story, more often it is a matter of incremental integration.
Today I'm practicing healing by seeing it as the bridge between harm and hope, rupture and repair. I recognize that it takes time and is still tender in me, but is growing stronger.
"Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself."
- John Dewey
Education isn't only something we receive - it's something we participate in.
Every fold teaches me what works and what doesn't.
This dictionary owl is a friendly figure who sits on my desk. He reminds me that the purpose of lifelong learning is not self-judgement, which makes me stop asking questions.
Rather, when knowledge is my companion, something gentler happens. Education becomes an invitation to develop understanding through experience.
Today I'm practicing education by staying curious, letting both mistakes and joy inform my origami choices.
"Our life is frittered away by detail... simplify, simplify."
- Henry David Thoreau
Simplicity asks me to remove what isn't needed. To proceed one sheet, one module, one fold at a time.
Today I'm practicing simplicity by letting this be enough.
Rectangular Frame designed by Kamikey, Hearts by Origami Club
"Despite everything, I believe people are really good at heart."
Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl
Believing doesn't always mean certainty.
Sometimes it's a choice to continue even when you don't know for sure and the outcome isn't clear.
Today I'm practicing believing in myself and the power of community by sticking with this Season for Nonviolence project.
"It is the time you have wasted on your rose that makes your rose so important."
Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince
Caring shows up in how I handle things, not only how I feel about them. This crisp origami paper from Japan holds and shows every crease I make, carefully or carelessly.
Today I'm practicing caring by cherishing and being gentle with what's in my hands.
"Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well."
- Voltaire
Appreciation begins with recognizing the goodness, beauty or efforts of others and then offering respect by acknowledging it.
I don't design origami (yet). I appreciate the designs of others and using the paper I have available, I create my unique versions of them.
Today I'm practicing appreciation by crediting those designers and sincerely saying thank you. Without your hard work and heartfelt efforts to share, I wouldn't have so many lovely choices of models to fold and express myself with.
I appreciate you!
Special thanks also to the creators of and on Pinterest, YouTube, and other social media platforms. Without those technologies my repertoire would be so much smaller.
