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 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 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.

#initforallthelove, enemies

 

Day 11/14, Corner Hugger Heart Bookmark (Origami Club)

Oh... where do I even begin?

This excerpt from “Soul Friends” by Stephen Cope says it better than I ever could. Please excuse me, I’m going back to practicing.

There is no greater misfortune than feeling 

“I have an enemy”

For when “I” and “enemy” exist together

there is no room left for my treasure 

Thus, when two opponents meet

The one without an enemy will surely triumph

- Lao-Tzu

tonight at strathcona county library

Friends of Folding Meeting: Thursday April 19th

Bring your paper and your ideas, your current project, your questions or just your enthusiasm.

Please note that folders of all ages are welcome, but we request that young guests are accompanied by an adult.


This is not a workshop or class, there is no cost to attend.  For more information click here.

pair of pandas

on the same page