day 57 - service

An umbrella can provide shelter from the rain — it can also block out the sun.

The same object, the same gesture — helpful or harmful depending on what is actually needed.

In nonviolence, service isn't about rushing in to provide what makes me feel useful, it's more like attending to the changing weather of someone else's life. 

Sometimes a person, or a situation, needs cover. Sometimes they need warmth, light, and space. If I open the umbrella without really paying attention, I might protect or I might dim what's helping them grow.

Service needs to be responsive, attentive to the moment and the person standing in it.

Today I'm practicing asking what's needed before offering solutions.

Umbrella by origaminojikan on YouTube

day 56 - self-sufficiency

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."

- Theodore Roosevelt

Self-sufficiency is providing for myself, and trusting that I can work with what I have.

I have folded the masu box so many times I know the sequence by heart. Still, it never ceases to amaze me. 

The folding pleases me because it feels so elegant and efficient. 

Plus, the uses are practically endless — from biodegradable bone-catchers destined for the compost bin on wing night, to pretty desk organizers and gift boxes, I can no longer imagine my life without knowing how to make these. 

There's a quiet confidence in knowing that I can turn almost nothing into something useful — that I can meet a small, real need with my own hands, and that I have the ability to customize the measure of what that needs to be.

The paper I chose for this box features the traditional Asanoha pattern which represents the hemp leaf: vigorous, resilient and able to meet a multitude of human needs.

Today I'm practicing self-sufficiency by affirming: I can produce what I need, measure what is enough, and carry it myself.

day 55 - responsibility

"There is fortune in leftovers." 

- Japanese Saying

Responsibility starts with stewardship — recognizing what is and isn't mine to carry. 

This little pouch, called a Fukubukuro or Lucky Bag feels like a symbol of what I hold: choices, responses, care, and consequences.

Today I'm practicing responsibility by asking myself two questions: 

When I'm "left holding the bag," what happens to my compassion? 

And "What have I been entrusted with, by choice or by circumstance, and how do I want to carry it?"

day 54 - giving

"It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving."

- Mother Teresa

Giving is about what leaves my hands. It's also about the attention I bring to the offering.

This pretty box was folded for a celebration and will hold something small but meaningful. It has been lovingly shaped to honor both what's inside, and my esteem for the receiver. 

Today I'm practicing giving by reflecting on what it means to wrap something — an object, a moment, or even a feeling — with care.

day 53 - action

"We are clearly in a lot of emergencies right now. They demand action. But action demands thought and thoughtfulness: who are we, what are our values, our goals, our allies, our possibilities, and our powers?"

- Rebecca Solnit 

In my origami practice, the action begins the moment I stop deliberating and start making thoughtful decisions. 

This little heart, folded from a dictionary page, started as a way to use up a scrap of paper.  But when I finished and saw the word pulse on it's surface I felt like it was also a message to my Self: action is the heartbeat of nonviolence.

I started to think about all the ways nonviolent action is like a pulse: 

• It animates values, making them circulatory rather than theoretical.
• It's rhythmic, moving in waves of pressure and pause.
• It is a repetition of persistent gestures, not one big event, keeping a body, a community, a system alive.
• It carries life to the edges, moving blood where it's needed just as action mobilizes care, attention, resources and pressure to areas that have been starved of them.
• It responds to stress, it adapts to crisis by intensifying.
• It is a sign that the body — or a society — is active, alive and evolving.
• And if it stops, something is wrong.

Today I'm practicing action by letting the answers to these questions guide my choices and evolution: Who am I, what are my values, goals, allies, possibilities, and powers?

---

day 52 - equality

In modular origami, equality isn't an idea — it's a requirement. It's material and measurable. 

When folding modular or symmetrical forms, the beauty comes from balance. 

Every module has to start out exactly the same size, be folded with the same precision, given the same care. If I rush one unit, the whole structure tells on me. 

Equality here shows up as patience, as repetition, as willingness to offer the same respect again and again. 

The challenge is consistency; the delight is when the whole becomes visibly balanced.

Today, I'm practicing equality, in origami and in life, by meeting repetitive tasks with curiosity and patience.

Illusion cubes designed by David Mitchell. Published in his book, Sticky Note Origami.

day 51 - advocacy

Advocacy isn’t necessarily noisy. It can be a quiet acknowledgement of something noteworthy. 

Take this note pad sheet folded into a speech bubble. It isn’t shouting. It’s held open for something kind or helpful to be said.

When I fold, I practice care for attention itself. I make something slow in a fast world, tactile in a complex one. 

When I speak about it, it’s not to assert or assign — it’s to say: this has given me focus and joy, maybe it could for you too.

The nonviolence aspect here is deliberate. Choosing words the way I choose folds: on a good day, that means with patience, respect, and an eye toward what could become without being forced.

This is soft advocacy, certainly. Not a push, but an invitation. Not a demand, but a demonstration. 

Because some things don’t need defending. It's enough to make them visible, and trust them to speak for themselves.

Today, my practice of advocacy includes inviting, tending, making space, and letting people discover what fits.

Speech Bubble designed and taught by Kamikey on YouTube

day 50 - choice

"May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears." 

- Nelson Mandela

Choice shows up even in the most structured moments. In origami, every fold is a decision: this way or that.

This traditional masu box has a divider insert folded from a separate square of atlas paper, making it a perfect vessel for presenting a variety of treats or cherishing a collection.

What would you choose to fill it with?

Today, I’m practicing choice by noticing the direction I take — and why.

day 49 - honour

“The way you do anything is the way you do everything.”

- Thich Nhat Hanh

Honor in origami is how I treat what’s been entrusted to me.

Every choice — the paper, the pattern, the folds, the time — matters. 

Each square, each hand that will receive it, each minute spent folding is part of the offering.

Today, I’m practicing honor by giving this practice—and the sharing of it—the care, gratitude, and attention it deserves.

day 48 - ecology

"The way we see the world shapes the way we treat it." 

- David Suzuki

Ecology reminds us: nothing exists alone. We’re part of a vast, buzzing web.

I recently learned that flies aren’t just clean-up crews — they’re pollinators too. Apples, grapes, even hops for your beer? Thank a fly.

Today, I’m practicing ecology by noticing the world from a different perspective.

Fly: Leyla Torres, Origami Spirit

day 47 - disarmament

Disarmament isn’t just about drones and bombs — it’s also un-clenching my heart and hands.

Today, I’m practicing disarmament by choosing care over combat, gentleness over guardedness… and raising a folded paw instead of a claw.

Kitty and basket designed and taught by origami_ishibashinaoko on YouTube.

day 46 - compassion

"One love, one heart" 

- Bob Marley

Those words feel like the perfect companion for this folded heart today.

Visually, this heart is two halves not quite meeting in the middle, holding tenderness even when things are cracked or split.

Compassion is like that. Not shiny or perfect, but steady, warm, and willing to frame what’s fragile. It is the quiet work of helping the two halves of the heart — or two people — find their way a little closer together.

My blog name, One Love Origami, was inspired by this song. At the time it simply felt good and sounded beautiful to me.

Over the years I’ve come to see not only how creative expression can help mend a broken heart, but also how beautifully folding paper brings people together across languages, cultures, and differences. It generously and inclusively extends an invitation, much like the song: “Let’s get together and feel alright.”

Today I'm practicing compassion by meeting my own missteps with kindness — noticing my inner critic and softening its tendency toward prosecution, practicing a little non-violence toward myself so that I can also meet the world with more love.

Heart designed by Fumiaki Shingu
Frame designed by Kamikey

April 27 at Strathcona County Library

Origami Circle: 

Craft, Connect, Create

There are only two spots left for this special event at Strathcona County Library on April 27 from 6:30 - 8:30 pm.

We’ll spend the evening folding simple forms together and adding them to a collaborative community garland while reflecting on the power of creativity and connection.

No experience needed, just curiosity and a willingness to slow down for a couple of hours.

Register at sclibrary.ca

I’m really looking forward to seeing what we create together!

day 45 - mastery

"If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn't seem so wonderful at all." 

- Michelangelo

Mastery isn't a leap; it's a scaffold - built layer by layer, block by block, through practice, repetition, mistakes, and refinements that stack up over time. 

Like these cubes, progress isn't always linear. Sometimes it's offset, or looks awkward mid-build. But slowly, the structure begins to support itself. What was once uncertain becomes stable, experiment becomes evidence, effort becomes fluency.

There's a lesson in perspective here, too: the same structure can look different depending on how you're viewing it. 

Mastery isn't just about adding more techniques. It's about learning to see possibilites, constraints, and patterns in new ways. 

It's about building something that can keep growing.

Today I'm practicing mastery by remembering that every single step counts.

Necker/Illusion Cubes designed by David Mitchell, featured in his book, Sticky Note Origami

day 44 - cooperation

"The powerful have their power. But we have something too - the capacity to stop pretending, to name reality, to build our strength at home and to act together."  

- Mark Carney

Cooperation requires shared effort. My hands are guided by the paper's limits, and the paper responds to my hands.

This particular form cannot exist without collaboration between parts. 

• No single unit is the centre. 
• No piece is "in charge". 
• Each module holds, and is held. 

Like this modular ring, peace cannot be imposed. It must be assembled.

Today I'm practicing cooperation by remembering that the strength of the whole depends on the care of, and from, each part.

day 43 - uniqueness

"Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you!" 

- Dr Seuss

No two origami models are ever exactly the same. No two lives are either. Uniqueness is something we don't have to earn — we already are it.

In real life, elephants are known to have individual memories, character, and presence; each one is recognized and remembered by their herd.

In the context of nonviolence, uniqueness invites us to honor the irreproducible nature of each being — each story, each history, each environment, and each situation.

This little elephant reminds me that being different is not a flaw; it's the whole art.

Today I'm practicing uniqueness by celebrating all handmade objects as delightfully one-of-a-kind.

Elephant by Jo Nakashima

day 42 - accountability

“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.” 

- John Muir

I think of accountability as a practice.

My choices don’t live in isolation — they live within relationships, systems, ecosystems, communities, continents, the world.

I feel like a better global citizen and steward of my environment when I choose reclaimed paper for folding.

These stacked masu boxes also nest, interconnected — each one precious and unique, despite being made from atlas paper that was discarded, unwanted, obsolete — the collection forming something greater than the sum of it's parts.

Today I’m practicing accountability by owning what I bring to the work.

day 41 - openness

"There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in." 

- Leonard Cohen

Openness isn't the absence of boundaries; it's the presence of room to breathe. 

This structure literally holds its shape by leaving space. 

Folded by my origami teacher more than 25 years ago, this woven cube is still letting light in - on the benefits of cultural exchange, learning through experience, the joy of folding, and expanding attitudes and possibilities.

Today I'm practicing openness by remembering that a strong form can still be open.

day 40 - unity

"Unity in Diversity" 

- A phrase popularized by Jawaharlal Nehru, and inspired by the ancient wisdom of the Rig Veda

Unity doesn’t have to mean sameness.

In many societies—and in many moments of daily life—people belong to one whole while carrying different traditions, viewpoints, and histories. Diversity doesn’t weaken unity; often, it enriches it.

I’m usually a bit timid when it comes to aesthetic risks. I tend to choose familiar color combinations and make sure everything neatly “matches.”

But when I took a chance and folded this modular box using four different patterned papers, I was surprised and delighted by the result. The colors settled into harmony, creating a charming patchwork effect.

Today I’m practicing unity by celebrating the many parts of my life that come together in harmony—despite their differences, and sometimes because of them.

Modular Box Design by Tomoko Fuse

day 39 - dialogue

"Every little thing wants to be loved." 

- Sue Monk, The Secret Life of Bees

Dialogue is one of nonviolence's quieter tools: listening, responding, and letting ourselves be changed by what we hear.

Origami teaches me this. 

I can't force the paper without damaging it. I have to work with its grain, its thickness, its size. Each crease is a kind of proposal. The paper answers by holding, resisting, reshaping.

That's a conversation. 

Folding feels like that. It's a practice of shaping without coercion. Of staying curious about what this material - or this person - can become. 

Nonviolent communication isn't about winning. It's about tending the space between us - like a small field where many little things can land, hover, and be heard.

Today I'm practicing dialogue by working with different papers and attending to how they respond.

Origami Bee: Designed by Leyla Torres of Origami Spirit, based on an Origami Fly by Angel Ecija

day 38 - kindness

“Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” 

- Dalai Lama

This is one of the reasons I return again and again to origami as a contemplative art.

It shows me that kindness can come in many forms —even when all you have to start with is something small: a piece of paper and a willingness to try.

Paper is almost always within reach. A receipt, a scrap, a square from a notebook. 

Possibility is everywhere.

When the folds are challenging, I remember that someone, somewhere, was kind enough to lay out the path so that others could follow. Each diagram is an act of kindness, given from the heart.

And from those simple folds — all sorts of possibilities:

• A heart folded for a friend.
• A little frog to amuse an impatient child.
• A flower left behind as a thank-you.
• A shape that bridges language when words feel far away.

This double-layer heart reminds me that kindness, too, has layers. There is the kindness we receive, the kindness we learn, and the kindness we choose to pass along.

Today I’m practicing kindness. It doesn’t need perfect timing or special materials. Because kindness — like a piece of paper — is almost always within reach.

day 37 - graciousness

"Your graciousness is what carries you. It isn't how old you are, how beautiful you are, or how short your skirt is. What it is, is what comes out of your heart. If you are gracious, you have won the game." 

- Stevie Nicks

Graciousness shows up most obviously in how I respond when things don't go as planned. 

But it's not just about perfection, it's also about timing. About knowing when to speak, when to listen, and when to pause. 

This bookmark, made from old sheet music, reminds me that even silence has a place in the score. A rest is not for nothing. It's part of the music. 

Today I'm practicing graciousness by resting when I'm tempted to react.

day 36 - mindfulness

"The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it." 

- Thich Nhat Hanh

Mindfulness isn't about clearing my mind. It's about engaging my presence.

Folding these tiny stars from old book pages feels like meditation in motion - slow hands, careful alignment and attention to small details.

The glass tube is like a contemplative vessel, holding those small attentive moments in one quiet, visible form. It whispers to me, be here, notice, take your time.

Today I'm practicing mindfulness by staying with each moment as it is.

Lucky (Puffy) Stars

day 35 - understanding

"When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There may be tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they may seem invincible, but in the end they always fail. Think of it: always." 

- Mahatma Gandhi

Understanding grows more slowly than opinion. It asks me to stay a little longer with what I don't yet comprehend.

Today I'm practicing understanding by not rushing to conclusions or assuming outcomes—remembering that some frightening or confusing things may simply be misunderstood, while some are genuinely harmful. 

Neither tells the whole story.

No-Face (Kaonashi) from "Spirited Away"

day 34 - love

"The Eskimo has 52 words for snow because it is important to them; there ought to be as many for love." 

-Margaret Atwood

Love isn’t always fancy champagne and roses.

Often, it looks like care repeated in small, ordinary ways.

In this quote, Margaret Atwood reflects on how language reveals what we value.

While academics debate the exact number of words for snow in Inuit languages, the deeper truth remains: when something matters, we learn to speak of it with nuance and fluency.

In the language of flowers, the carnation symbolizes love and care in all their forms — romantic, familial, and platonic — as well as remembrance, devotion, and even quiet resistance.

Today, I’m practicing love by showing up where I care, with affection and consistency.

Want all kinds of origami love? Explore my 14-post series #initforallthelove here on One Love Origami.

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

day 26 - respect

"I speak to everyone in the same way, whether he is the garbage man or the president of the university." 

- Albert Einstein

Respect isn't about status. It shows up in how I handle and protect things, people, and ideas.

In origami, respect begins long before the first fold.

It is present in how the paper is chosen, how it is handled, and whether its qualities are allowed to guide the making. Some papers ask for bold transformation or intricate details. Others ask for simplicity.

This hexagon letter fold is made from a sheet of grassy, textured handmade A4 paper that waited quietly in my collection for decades. Nothing terribly precious - but certainly beautiful enough to deserve the right moment.

Now it serves by holding something meaningful: words of encouragement, and enough good loose tea for a shared pot.

The hexagonal form, known in Japan as Kikkō (tortoiseshell), symbolizes protection, stability, and longevity. Its strength comes not from force, but from balanced structure.

Good folding practice reminds me that respect, too, is a form of attention - to the unique needs of a person, a situation, or the material at hand.

Today I practice respect by handling words carefully and honoring boundaries — in paper, in people, and in myself, choosing care over force wherever I can.

day 25 - friendliness

"One who prevents you from meeting your destruction is your friend, mitra. Maitri is the spirit that compels your friend to be there for you; friendliness." 

- Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, 

Commentary on Patanjali's Yoga Sutra 1.33 

Friendliness doesn’t require a big extroverted personality.

Sometimes it begins with simple approachability - with how safely we are able to meet what and who is around us.

“Trauma-informed spaces” may sound sophisticated, but they often begin exactly here:
not fixing or advising, simply offering presence and goodwill.

This origami model delights me because it mirrors that idea. From one square of paper emerge three figures: a heart, and two friendly cats side by side.

Three forms, one uncut square - a moment of single sheet origami magic.

Relationship.
Reciprocity.
Connection held at the centre.

Nothing added. Nothing cut away.
Just one sheet, transformed.

A reminder that friendliness unfolds not so much between us as through us.

This practice brings me a great deal of joy. Thank you, friend, for being here to share it with me.

Today I’m practicing friendliness by reaching out with something whimsical.
If you feel inclined, I’d love to hear - what’s bringing you joy today?

Pocket Heart with Two Cats, Kamikey on YouTube

day 24 - harmony

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." 

- Mahatma Gandhi

Harmony happens here, in the way pattern, patience, and purpose meet.

Inhale. Exhale. Chrysanthemums slowly open, cranes glide across the sky, colors and folds settle into peaceful alignment. 

Each reminds me: balance is not aspirational - it is beneath my feet, in my hands, in tiny micro-calibrations, in the rhythm of now.

Today, I am practicing harmony through my breath—letting attention, intention, and action move together, as one living flow.

day 23 - prayer

"There is a way of beholding nature that is itself a form of prayer." 

- Diane Ackerman

Prayer, for me, isn't usually about asking for things. 

(Though sometimes it is.) 

More often, it feels like reverent attention - a pause in which I listen rather than speak. And somehow, that listening transforms things. 

Folding gives my hands something to do while my thoughts settle. Each crease accompanies a slow breath. Each turn of the paper gathers intention. 

This lotus-like bud feels like an offering - something I can cradle in my hands that stands in for longing, or gratitude, or emotions too nebulous for words. 

The open space on the tag above it becomes a place for whatever wishes to be spoken aloud... or only held in the heart - a small altar where fears and dreams can rest side by side.

Today I am practicing prayer through making - one small gesture within an ongoing exploration of how attention itself becomes devotion.

day 22 - mission

"My mission is to create a world where we can live in harmony with nature." 

- Jane Goodall

At the heart of non-violence is a mission. A practice of returning to what matters, again and again. 

In yogic philosophy, one's mission may be referred to as svadharma, the specific, unique duty of an individual based on their nature. It is one's personal "right way of living".

Today I'm clarifying my mission by asking myself, what core belief is at the heart of my practice of nonviolence?

Heart Pendant by Fumiaki Shingu

day 21 - inspiration

Nonviolence isn't just a strategy or a moral stance. It's a practice, and like any practice, it needs fuel.

Inspiration:

• reorients my heart when I'm tired, cynical, or discouraged
• reminds me what I'm aiming toward, not just what I'm resisting
• keeps me choosing not to harden
• keeps my imagination supple and active, even under pressure
• prevents nonviolence from becoming dry, dutiful, or purely performative
• lets me believe in responses that don't yet exist, but could
• holds complexity in harmony

Without inspiration, nonviolence can shrink into:

• rule-following without soul
• restraint without vision
• or worse, a kind of grim endurance that eventually snaps

With inspiration, nonviolence is creative, spacious, and alive. Structured but not rigid.

This small origami form began with an ordinary square. Fueled by inspiration, cut to a pentagon and folded with care it became extraordinary! 

Today I'm practicing inspiration by asking: 

What else is possible here? 

What more beautiful response could exist?

Sakura by Taniguchishoyudo on YouTube

day 20 - self-forgiveness

"Forgive yourself for not knowing what you didn't know before you learned it." 

- Maya Angelou

Self-forgiveness is often hard to find.

This bookmark is folded from a dictionary page. It is crowded with self- words, many of them harsh, heavy and morally loaded.

The absence of self-forgiveness feels telling. It shows how exhaustively we've named our inner punishments; how much less our inner kindness. 

Nonviolence isn't only about not harming others. It's also about noticing how fluent I am in self-judgement, and how unfamiliar gentleness can feel.

Today I'm practicing something experimental: naming a mistake calmly, letting the discomfort be there, and adding self-forgiveness to the list - making space for a different story.

day 19 - acceptance

"Open your heart to who you are right now,/Not who you would like to be." 

- John Welwood

Acceptance doesn't mean being a doormat, liking everything that happens, or tolerating the intolerable. 

It's simply acknowledging what is. 

This little book is handmade, hand-stitched and heartfelt. 

It fits in my pocket and has just enough pages to jot down snippets of poems, lyrics, observations and reflections for a week or so - tidbits that may not mean much to anyone else but are important to me. 

When I look back, I see that they reflect my truth in those moments. Each little book becomes a sort of mirror - a way of learning to accept what I see reflected back to me.

Today I'm practicing acceptance through a wabi-sabi lens, nurturing the understanding that nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect. 

day 18 - freedom

"You have more freedom than you realize." 

- Rob Brezsny

Freedom doesn't always mean having endless options. Sometimes it comes from awareness and working well within a few clear boundaries. 

Today, I'm practicing freedom by taking this advice, also from Rob Brezsny: "See if you can become aware of an interesting freedom that has not previously been on your radar screen." 

Dolphin by you_and_me_25 on YouTube

day 17 - integrity

"I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will."  

- Charlotte Bronte

Integrity asks for alignment between what I intend and what I actually do. 

On paper, each fold shows immediately whether I was paying attention or not. 

Today I'm practicing integrity by matching my care to my intention.

Bird card by Jeremy Shafer

day 16 - gratitude

"Gratitude turns what we have into enough." 

- Melody Beattie

Gratitude isn't something I summon to put myself in a better mood - it arrives spontaneously when I see what's supporting me - the chair, the roof over my head, my family, the luxury of time and good health. 

I thank my lucky stars for so much in life. 

Even on a "bad" day, tea with a friend or a cuddle with the cat, or a strip of paper twisted around my fingers and tucked into shape can evoke that feeling and transform my perception. 

Today I'm practicing gratitude by noticing and naming what's holding me up.

Lucky Stars, Traditional, Strip Folding

day 15 - reverence

" Awe produces a state of reverence, a feeling of respect and gratitude for the things that are given."

       - Dacher Keltner

Reverence doesn't necessarily require ceremony in the traditional sense.

It's about seeing the sacred, yes - and also about recognizing the sacred in the ordinary.

This eight-piece modular form feels to me like part flower, part compass, part mandala. I am awed by the beauty of geometry, folded and fit together in such a pretty - but modest - medium. 

Today I'm practicing reverence by noticing symmetry, layers, and the depth of detail I only truly appreciate when I pause.

Wreath Source: Oriya on YouTube

day 14 - humility

"Humility is openness to new learning combined with a balanced and accurate assessment of our contributions, including our strengths, imperfections, and opportunities for growth." 

- Brene Brown

Humility reminds me that my work belongs within a larger conversation. 

This elegant pleated form has been folded by many hands before mine, and it will surely be folded many times again. 

Today I'm practicing humility by seeing myself as a link in the chain - neither first nor last; present, learning, and connecting.

day 13 - creativity

"The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt." 

- Sylvia Plath

Creativity isn't always about inventing something brand new. Sometimes it's the thrill of noticing patterns - like constellations in the night sky - and exploring the spaces between them. 

I love repeating favorite folds. Each one lets my ideas orbit, spin, and collide, letting sparks of inspiration light up in unexpected ways. 

Today I'm practicing creativity by following curiosity, intuition, and emotion, trusting that even the smallest spark can become a guiding star.

day 12 - groundedness

"Practice becomes firmly grounded when well attended to over time, without break, and with earnestness." 

- Patanjali, Yoga Sutra 1.14

Groundedness is stability and presence made steadfast through consistent attention. 

This Sonobe Cube requires six identical modules that fit together precisely - without glue - to form a sturdy, three-dimensional platonic solid. 

Any small imbalance in folding or misdirection in the creases can compromise the whole structure.

Today, through this modular design I've folded many, many times before, I am practicing groundedness: cultivating geometric harmony and connection through a habit of precision, and attentive presence. 

day 11 - contemplation

"There is no way to peace, peace is the way." 

- Mahatma Gandhi

Contemplation is not an escape from the world; it is a way of cleaning the lens of the heart. It transforms nonviolence from a tactic into a way of life. It fosters the emotional and spiritual resilience needed to resist injustice without resorting to violence. 

Contemplative practices like meditation help activists cope with stress and prevent burnout, turn anger into "creative fire" that can be used for constructive, nonviolent change, and keep methods consistent with goals - ensuring peaceful goals are not pursued through violent means.

Folding gives my hands something to do while my mind settles. Folding cranes, a symbol of peace, is a creative meditation that lets my intention find form through breath, paper, and focused attention. 

Today I'm practicing contemplation by folding peace cranes. 

day 10 - faith

"Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark." 

- Rabindranath Tagore

For me, faith isn't blind certainty. It's moving forward with trust - rooted in experience, yet without guarantees. 

Today I'm practicing faith by trusting the process of folding a new origami model by an artist whose designs I've succeeded with before. Each crease, each careful fold, reminds me that even when the outcome is uncertain, the act of showing up matters.

Origami Crane by origamiba-ba on YouTube

day 9 - dreaming

"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.

Frame designed and taught by Chisshy Origami on YouTube.