April 29, 2009
Posted by Lenore Ramm
Not long after I signed up for Experimonth, I began to wonder just how much time I would have to write letters. I realized that tonight would be one of my last opportunities to blog about the experience, so I guess the answer is “not a lot”. In fact, I have been participating dutifully, but only because I came up with an idea that was wildly distorted from the original proposal.
I’ve been writing just a few words to myself each night, in a beautiful handmade notebook. I’ve always been concerned about the passage of time, particularly how quickly it goes by as we get older. Did days we can’t remember really happen? Were they worth experiencing if we can’t remember them? Of course, they did and they are, but it’s important to make the effort to create triggers to help us reflect. Inspired by the Happiness Project, I started keeping a 3 sentence journal, close to 2 years ago. It limits me to writing just enough to hopefully allow me to remember what was significant or even profoundly insiginificant about the day.
For April’s Get the Lead Out Experimonth, I decided to combine the notion of writing just a bit about the day with taking a photo of the day. While a picture can be worth a thousand words, the simplest phrase can evoke a picture in your mind. Each day, I’ve written a phrase or a sentence that has stuck in my mind to represent the day or at least something that I hope will lead me to remember something that happened. My rules were that it had to be something I heard someone say or I read, without attribution, but not something that I personally wrote or thought.
I expect I will continue this practice long after this April is over, but I may not write every day. This is actually a long-term experiment in that I don’t know if ten years down the road this will enable me to remember my experiences better, but I hope it will.
April 28, 2009
by Erin H.
I hope other experimenters are doing better than I have been. I’m assuming they are since there have been no posts in a while. I imagine everybody pouring their souls out onto paper and not having enough umph left to blog. Writing takes a lot out of you and it takes a lot of time to do it right. So, how am I finding the time to post? I haven’t been writing, plain and simple. I think my last note was on the 15th. I’m not ashamed by this fact. I don’t want to force myself to write when I’m not feeling it. But I am a little bummed that some of my intended recipients have not received anything. I still have a list sitting here of a few more people I’d like to write to.
My problem is that I don’t really fancy myself a writer of letters. I don’t find it fair to fill people in on detail after detail of my daily life without having the give and take of a verbal conversation. And I’m not really good at showing affection through words. I always feel like my words fall short of my feelings. I’d prefer to show how I care about someone through actions and little gestures. So when it is time to write, what is left to write about when daily life and emotions are not my strong subjects?
With that said, the three or four people left on my list that I really would like to write to may still receive notes, but most likely not in the month of April. One day soon I’ll be inspired to sit down and have a writing marathon, but that day is not today. With two days in the month left to go, I wish for my co-experimenters to finish strong. I envy your words.
April 15, 2009
by Erin H.
This week the length and quality of the letters has increased, but unfortunately the quantity of the letter written has decreased. Hopefully this is not a trend. Here are the lucky people:
8th: My sister-in-law recieved an Indianapolis postcard featuring one of the buildings she was infatuated with when she visited. It was a cold and snowy day when she was here taking pictures so the postcard gave her a view of the monument on a sunny day.
9th: A fellow experimonther will be receiving not only a letter written on some recycled stationary but also a small package. I am waiting for the tax-crazies to clear out of the post office before I send it.
10th: Oops! No excuses here, the time just got away from me.
11th: A former coworker recieved a letter on green and orange recycled stationary. The letter includes updates in my life and inquiry about hers. For some reason my thoughts strongly went to her this day.
12th: Husband got a seven page 8×11 epic about various things that have been happening these past few months and how lucky I am to have him.
13th: Another former coworker who I also have been thinking about recieved a card. Just found out she is engaged!
14th: Oops, again. Started training for a new position and also worked to finish up some home improvement projects – the end of the day came too quickly.
April 12, 2009
Posted by Tia (belikiga)
I sent out two cards ths weekend to two people who needed a lift. They are both suffereing from two different illnesses (cancer and stroke). I hope that the cards will bring them a little cheer.
April 11, 2009
April 10
I took an L. Tired and uninspired I did not write a note.
April 11
This was easy. Wrote a get well card to someone at church who just had surgery. Tools: Get Well card (by whom I don’t know I already sealed it), Pilot G-2 07 medium in black
April 9, 2009
She’s my girl, she lives right here in the metro and I could call or just go by there and I will. I liked the idea of the letter preface. To let her know I’m thinking about her and that we need to get together soon and catch up. The letter is addressed and ready to be mailed on Friday.
Tools: roobee by mara-mi letter set, inc Magna Tank .5mm fine in blue
April 9, 2009
I wrote to my son. It’s been over a year since I’ve done so. A piece I wrote about him is here. The letter to him last night was cathartic, I feel I’m over the hump. I just want to love him and let all that stuff that happened in the past, stay in the past. The letter was mailed today.
Tools: Gartner Studios Hot Hues personal stationery, inc Magna Tank .5mm fine point
April 8, 2009
Posted by Tia (belikiga)
I found this on my desk today and it made me smile. It was a two part note accompanied by a little plastic froggie. On the front it said “thank you for making my day” (picture above) and when I turned the note over it said “pass this froggie on to someone else” (bottom picture). I think this is what Get The Lead Out is all about! Whoever left this on my desk made my day. I have no idea what I did or who recognized my “good deed” but it helped to add a spring to my step all day.
I did as the froggie instructed and passed it on to someone else in the office. I wonder where it will hop to next and how many people have participated in this little note sharing.
April 8, 2009
Beginning to wonder if I’m following the rules of Experimonth. Someone asked me today if I was supposed to be writing a note to someone everyday. I said I don’t think so, but I have been. The last couple of notes have been to the readers of the Get the Lead Out Blog and to me, sometimes you got to talk to yourself to get things crackin.
Monday April 6
This note was again more of a plan. As a participant of 31 Days to a Better Blog (follow @problogger on twitter) the first assignment was to write an “elevator pitch” The result of that is:
Tools: inc Magna Tank .5mm fine in red, Tops Steno notebook
Tuesday April 7
Last night I had no tv nor internet as such I got in such a relaxed mode that sleep came early. Before I shut my eyes I wrote this:
Tools: inc Magna Tank .5mm fine in blue
April 8, 2009
by Erin H.
Just a little run down of the past week’s recipients. I am hoping to sit down next week to more robust writing sessions.
Day 1: Evan (husband) recieved a square piece of white paper that was instrumental to an April Fool’s joke.
Day 2: Evan recieved a square piece of white paper on the kitchen counter before going to work with a little love to get him through the day.
Day 3: The professional-relocator who was a HUGE help in many, many aspects of our transition from NC to IN over the past four-six months recieved flowers and a thank you note. Though the note was technically not hand-written, the sentiment was the same.
Day 4: Neighbors received a thank you note for the wonderful chocolate chip oatmeal cookies that helped welcome us to the neighborhood. It was written on green and orange recycled paper stationary.
Day 5: Grandma and Grandpa recieve their “first weekend of the month” card with a photograph of a flower on it containing news from the past month.
Day 6: Oops Day.
Day 7: Brother recieved an Indianapolis post card with some sarcastic comments about how he should call me for reasons other than asking me about vegetarian recipes. (This is what I meant to write on Day 6.) & Evan recieved the following on the standard square of white paper in his lunch.
