How convenient that it’s the last day of January AND it’s Monday… time to talk love.
My love project is one month old, and I think (fear, wildly hope) I’ve given birth to a giant. There are so many cool things in the works, and I’m scribbling more ideas (yours and mine) all the time. I’m in the process of creating a j’s Love Project page to try and keep track of it all. I hope to have the page finished this week. Feel free to crack whips. #toughlove
January has been the month of spontaneous connection. In January, I made three surprise phone calls; sent six postcards (four of them homemade!); typed four love texts – one to a sick friend, one to a distant friend, one to share my moon, and one to tell a funny story; I had coffee with two friends and dinner with two others; I left “thinking of you” messages for three people and wrote long email love letters to two more; I watched a movie with one of my favorite people in the world, our televisions were 45 miles apart; I sent a card to someone who was down and shared a poem with someone dear; I tweeted (and DM’d) my love countless times, stayed in an uncomfortable conversation (twice), and walked around a lake holding hands with someone precious.
I admit I stretched the meaning of the word “spontaneous.” My coffee and dinner dates were, strictly speaking, not spontaneous, but they were surprising and funny, occasionally alarming, always soul-filling. And anyway, we’re talking fearless love here. There are no rules.
I wish I’d thought to keep track of all the emails and cards and postcards and tweets that have been sent to me during the course of this month. Especially during my moment of doubt, I felt the strength of the community we’ve built here and realized how incredibly lucky I am.
I’ve been in conversation with some of you off-blog, in email, on Twitter, on Facebook and in person. Those conversations have been amazing to me, more valuable and touching than you can imagine. In one of them, I said that I was silly enough to truly believe that if people take this project seriously, if they make conscious, fearless, proactive love the goal every day, they will find themselves (and their world) transformed.
I said I was silly, but I don’t really think that. What I think is that my own transformation has begun.
February is the month of hugs!
My goal is to hug 28 different people this month. If that sounds easy to you, I want to be your friend. It sounds incredibly daunting to me. I will definitely be hugging my family and friends, but I work from home. In order for me to hug 28 different people this month, I’m going to have to either a) ramp up the social calendar big time, or b) hug some strangers. I forecast some of each (and a braver j) by the time we’re through.
Even if you can’t bring yourself to make a big scary deal out of it like me, I hope you’ll hug freely this month – the virtual and the 3D kind. Hugs are good for you.
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Writers, I’m conducting an experiment during the month of February. You should join me. Read about it here.
I just have to say, before I dive down into comments, that wonderful people (like Rita below) keep asking if I mind them “stealing” my love project goals. The answer is not only NO, but ABSOLUTELY NOT, PLEASE DO! ROCK THE LOVE PROJECT, BABY!
I would love nothing more than if everyone who reads this blog embraced and participated in the love project and commented here about your experiences, or posted them on Facebook, or tweeted them to the masses, or shouted them from your own front porch.
I want you all to join in, modify as you see fit, make suggestions, be outrageous. It’s only j’s Love Project because someone more business-savvy than I copyrighted “The Love Project.” It’s really all of ours – and the more we all do, the more we change our worlds. So, yes, yes, yes. Copy, steal, modify, expand… love! (And share it with me so I can be properly giddy.)
Beautiful you…
My last week has been frenetic, to say the very least. I scan my emails and open only the most pressing or enticing..and I opened yours – with 328 to go :) I may not always comment, or tweet or chirp, but I want you to know; it’s working. Your love project. At least on this smiling reader. :) Sending you gratitude and love for the very good you are doing in your powerful corner of the world.
And by the way…you mooned someone from your phone?!?! ;-) Peace. Gina
I’m trying to decide if my mooning someone from my phone would count as a gesture of love or cruelty… You should have seen the moon I shared. I didn’t take a picture. My phone camera wouldn’t have done it justice, but I shared the moment of seeing it, hanging low and golden and ginormous in the sky. It was beautiful.
And it makes my day that I was one you opened, before 328 others! I’m all puffed up and full of myself in the best way. *mwah*
I’m glad the project’s really taking off. 28 people sounds daunting to me, too, so we’ll see how it goes. Good luck! I’m going to give it a shot myself.
Yay! It’s going to be hard for me too. Last night, falling asleep, I thought… I’m going to ask for the first name of everyone I hug that I don’t know. I’d love a list of 28 of the people who made my February rock.
the month of hugs …. ok…
working from home does make it more of a challenge for you
thankfully it will be easy for me running the Vet Clinic to find
28 people to hug…
but I think I’ll push myself to try and hug people who are in need
but are afraid to ask, and those who push people away.
You rock.. and even if we just talk about it, The Love Project…. it changes everything…… Thoughts Become Things.
see you out there my friend
light, love and hugs
I’m guessing in your job, hugs are not uncommon, especially considering the effervescent soul you are. I’m excited to hear how your month unfolds. Light love and hugs back to you!
I hope you won’t mind but I would like to take on your “a hug a day challenge” for February. I was just thinking about it in the shower this morning and how amazing would it be if we all did it? I am already making a mental list in my head of who I could hug at work! I work in a government office so it’s not common place. But they all know me to be a bit “weird” that way anyway so it won’t be a surprise. I will report in and let you know how it goes. You continuously inspire me to keep inspiring others. Thank you for that. I feel like when I need to refuel, I’m just going to stop in at j’s Love Project to fill my own tank so I can go and do the same for others. Thank you once again for being amazing you.
Yes, yes, yes! It delights me to imagine you getting the hug mojo going in a government office. Come back and share stories. (I will soon have a place for that!) Or if you post about it, make sure I know so I can link.
Your enthusiasm never fails to reignite mine. Thank you back!
I so love this. and I must say that I’m loving February already, cuz I love hugs. ill take on the 28, and up the ante, only cuz I could probably hug 28 in a week… I’m gonna stretch myself to look for hug opportunities where they normally don’t exist. Dare I be bold enough to ask for them, request that I give them, rather than just letting them happen? even the virtual ones, if they count, can be cool, cuz you can sneak-attack someone with a hug ;-)
So, J, here’s a pre-month hug… it doesn’t count for the month – I just wanted to give it to you :-)
Oh, the days you will brighten, TPM! Your pre-month hug is just what I need to get this day started. I’m all warm for yoga now. ;-)
I can’t wait to see the looks on the faces with the gang I work with, when I give them a hug in February.
c
Hugging people doesn’t come easy to me for some reason. I am going to use this February overcome this bizarre uncomfortableness. I might even surpass the 28. 1 Down, by the way, but an easy one.
Doh! It’s not Febraury yet! I need to pay attention.
Ha! You’re just getting some momentum. It’s a good plan. (You can hug that same person again in February and it counts as someone new!) ;-)
If we ever meet… I’m hugging you. You’ve been warned.
I love how alive you sound when you write about this.
My inner child needs lots of love and hugs but has been too shy to ask. So that’s where I’ll be hugging in February.
Awww! Thanks! I love how I feel when I’m writing about this. And doing it. And thinking about it. Love and I got a thing going on for sure. Please, give you inner a child a hug from me. xo
I love the moon when it hangs low and orange…impossibly suspended. Don’t mind if I do a hug-count for February also. It’s my birthday month so it’s kinda cheating in a way ;)
Yay! Somehow “a hug-count for February” just sort makes me a little giddy.
I’ll be doing a lot of hugging, both virtual and real. Plus, as you’ve seen, I’ve found a lovely challenge sort of thingy to combine spreading love and my love of crafting. (Yay – can’t wait to create something for you!)
Your love project is making me so much more accountable with the love I spread – love that fact! It’s not silly at all to say that it changes one’s world; it really does. Transformation has begun in my world as well :)
Actually, I noticed that too. It’s a little different, consciously loving. I frequently find myself trying to think what’s the thing that would light this person’s fire, because that’s the thing I want to do. It’s very intentional which makes the experience of it more meaningful.
Your last sentence… thank you.
Thanks for bringing more love into the world.
If there is a Yelp event this month I can easily take care of that 28 differet people to hug in one event. They are many and they are huggers.
Good luck with your 28. I’ll let you know how mine goes.
Ha! Well, don’t stop at 28 then! You go girl! :-)
*HUGE Sparkly Glittery Super Squishy Hugs*
Good idea, J. Never stop.
Hi Dani! (waving furiously!!!)
Hugs are one of my absolute, all-time, favorite things!
Well, February should be all kinds of fun for you!
*HUG*
Your February bids fair to be delightful.
In emulation of your plan, I will be huggier than average in February, but I don’t intend to count. (I just don’t like to mix counting and acts of affection. I used to do inventory when I worked in retail. Meh.)
Looking forward to February’s glow of affection. <3
Huggier than average is all I ask! I understand your aversion to mixing math and love. I do it only because I’m a tiny bit crazy. ;-)
I told you I’m in for the hugs! ♥ It’s ten minutes into February as I type this. I gave my first February virtual hug to Terre {above} and my second is here for you ♥ *Awesome Sparkly Sequined Super Squishy Hugs* ♥
I reblogged an earlier post of yours about j’s Love Project & will reblog this one, too. And, if it’s okay, I’ll add your badge to my blog. This is an amazing and wondrous idea, j. Love you, sweetheart. ♥
I’m feeling punch drunk wrapped in your Awesome Sparkly Sequined Super Squishy Hugs! Thank you! And yes, absolutely, the badge is so we can spread the word… er, I mean, the love!
I went to a singles dance new years eve. Had a lovely time with friends. I was dancing with a friend at midnight. We hugged, and then were standing there talking. A tap on my shoulder brought with it a girl in a skin tight red dress and a big smile who hugged me, then kissed my cheek. She then proceeded to hug and kiss my [male] friend and then went around the rest of the room to hug and kiss each person there. [ 300+ or so people] The funny thing? It was done in such an innocent way that there wasn’t a single person who wasn’t delighted by it.
I think you should take that girl’s innocently exuberant example and go on out there wearing a “free hugs” button and hug you some humanity j . They’ll be the better for it.
[cuz you smell just like fresh baked cookies]
That’s actually a cute story. Juliana Finch suggested “hug freely” for a t-shit. That is likely. I imagine the whole this is easier with props… whether they be a tight red dress, or a goofy t-shit! ;-)
Wish you were close enough to hug!