my new year's offering
It is an old Japanese legend that if you fold a thousand cranes your wish will come true. This legend became famous in the 1940s when a young Japanese girl, diagnosed at age 11 with leukemia, decided to fold 1000 cranes so she could make a wish. Unfortunately, she died before she reached her goal, but her friends finished the remaining cranes for her and buried her with them.
About a month ago my life seemed crappy for about 7 reasons, and I decided I was going to fold 1000 cranes so that any wish I made would be granted. It's actually a much more tedious (and expensive) job than I thought it would be, but thank goodness I work the 12.5 hour night shift. I've got about 400 done. And I've found that it has become quite meditative and relaxing. And it is an amazingly beautiful sight when hundreds of colorful cranes are hanging in a sunny window.
I thought when I first started doing it that my wish would be selfish...not anything that would hurt anyone else, of course, just something that would benefit me. But now I'm making cranes for a friend who is a 2-time cancer survivor and who is - unfairly - facing it once again.
One of my real new year's resolutions is to try and be positive even when things seem hopeless. So besides my thousand cranes, here's my mantra for this friend...
Unlike baseball and felonies, it is not 3 strikes you're out...it is 3 times a charm.
Peace to all of you who read this. And happy new year.
About a month ago my life seemed crappy for about 7 reasons, and I decided I was going to fold 1000 cranes so that any wish I made would be granted. It's actually a much more tedious (and expensive) job than I thought it would be, but thank goodness I work the 12.5 hour night shift. I've got about 400 done. And I've found that it has become quite meditative and relaxing. And it is an amazingly beautiful sight when hundreds of colorful cranes are hanging in a sunny window.I thought when I first started doing it that my wish would be selfish...not anything that would hurt anyone else, of course, just something that would benefit me. But now I'm making cranes for a friend who is a 2-time cancer survivor and who is - unfairly - facing it once again.
One of my real new year's resolutions is to try and be positive even when things seem hopeless. So besides my thousand cranes, here's my mantra for this friend...
Unlike baseball and felonies, it is not 3 strikes you're out...it is 3 times a charm.
Peace to all of you who read this. And happy new year.
posted by jill at 08:26
2 Comments:
Jill, the thought of you peacefully folding paper cranes on the night shift for me makes me feel very cared for. Thanks for all your good thoughts (and I like the 3rd times a charm analogy).
i'm glad.
of course, when someone comes in with pre-term labor at 29 weeks, i usually think of you anyway. (ha ha.)
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