Ok Lynne and Rose - here is the idea:
We are going to free form here to figure out what new thing we are going to do in collaboration.
What will it be?
The reason I am calling this project Relais Relay? Because the goal is to use "free" time for something more enriching than, say, watching television. We want this free time to be improving the quality of our lives - to refresh one another as we participate in this thing - whatever it will be.
So, I am passing this to you both. Please - Rose - put your free association thoughts on a post - you already wrote them down - get them in here. Lynne - I know you have ideas so plop them in here. No agonizing over form, flora, and fauna - this is raw - this is the beginning...
So sorry for late comment. I spent the day working at SFSU and am feeling a bit blurry-eyed, but did not want to overlook an opportunity (finally) to post.
ReplyDeleteI confess that even though we weren't discussing potential businesses, I find myself thinking website, or "clicks" vs. bricks, if only because the number of shuttered actual (not virtual)businesses makes it difficult to contemplate otherwise. I do realize (hah!) that we were only talking about fun ideas, so perhaps I am getting ahead of myself.
In any case, my first 5-min brainstorm last week reflected areas of common interest: films, books, travel, san francisco, liberal politics, humor, life balance, mid-life, women's issues, trivia/wordplay, econ challenges, trends, etc.
My second 2-min brainstorm was to try and give shape to the interests: non-profit org, board game, website, travel group, salon. I know we discussed how we all appreciate collaboration, process, community, humor, and creativity as enriching values worthy of our free time.
I would say that collectively, we have a strong beat on business, education, design, but our spare-time pursuits are not limited to these areas.
Some of the thoughts I have been knocking about lately have to do with information overload - benefit or curse? (I'm a news junky, and I need to rein it in a bit), lifestyle downsizing, mid-life reinvention, pleasures unique to urban living, stay-vacations, home exchange, theme groups/travel, women's interest groups, entertainment/diversions, etc. Additionally, I confess I LOVE a good list, an exchange of ideas, a ready rec or two...
Is that random enough for you gals??! I'll try to be a bit more grounded in my next post.
I wonder if we should get together briefly again when Patti is in town, so that we can discuss communication procedures. It sounds as though Lynne has some ideas that are not able to be posted...
ReplyDeleteRose - thank you for all of this. I think it is just a tech glitch for Lynne - likely she and I can figure out on the phojne - perhaps this week?
ReplyDeleteYes, this thing could be a business. I have no qualms about that! I love your list of things - and I share all of them, spookily!
It seems to me that we are entering a time of great need.
It is not just the need for "stuff" and jobs, but also ... I think there is a feeling of emptiness out there. I am having trouble describing it - but it is all about attitude. Everyone getting beaten down every day by troubles large and small, real and imagined.
Our lives are largely determined by our attitude. There is so much that is negative - it can be paralyzing...
Is there some way perhaps we could design a website that is designed to be a first thing in the morning read? The thing people go to when they start their day or have a set back of some kind? Something that is wholly constructive - wholly possitive? I am not talking Successories here - but rather - news that is positive plus perhaps photos and good stuff. I don't mean religious, either - I mean a shot in the arm - a bump to the spirits... When I need that, Lynne's interior designs accomplish that for me ... she could design the look and feel. We could all posts photos - I would be happy to write a daily positive thought thing - we could put positive news stories on it...
We could work our way to having ads to fund the site one day...
I heartily agree with you re the need for positive news and its impact on attitude in times of despair. I had originally considered some website/blog ideas but found them not focused enough to warrant anyone's finding/reading them on a consistent basis. Also, I don't go to "inspirational" readings as a rule, so would be disinclined to propose one. I think that humor or game/challenge might be compelling, but then again, I am not sure how to distinguish ourselves from the abundance of others. I realize I sound like I'm dissing rather than promoting ideas, which is not my intent. I'm just thinking out loud and trying to sort through ideas (rapidly) to land on something that has first-thing-in-the-morning appeal. I will give it more thought and comment again soon. Thanks for your thoughts -- and if I haven't yet said as much, I so loved your creative, heartfelt poem on Sat.
ReplyDeleteYes - that is what I meant about the "Successories" remark. I absolutely HATE so-called inspirational readings. The point of inspiration is to be inspired. Labeling something as inspirational nullifies the point, no? When I think of the lift that Lynne's work gives me every day as I sit in it - I guess that is an example of what I am seeking to define.
ReplyDeleteMy poem was obviously aimed at Jeff. Here is a guy who spends way too much time examining the scope and nature of the empty portion of the glass. After he read it, he said, "Hey, we really have been to all of those places." I told him that was the idea - to catalogue what we had lived together - and I did not even cover all of them - not even close. He has also been to so many places without me - places to which I have sent him off for an enforced break - China, Vietnam, Macau to name a few.
You know, Rose and Lynne, I am exhausted with trying to keep everyone in the house on a positive keel. It has been a 22 year battle. Now I look out there, and I see more despair and negativity than I ever have. I guess that's what has got me exploring this avenue. I suppose I am thinking of all of the tired people who swim in the glass's contents everyday.
As an aside, when Joey was 14, Jeff and I were having a conversation that staked out our respective camps - he on the side of the half empty glass, I firmly extolling the half full. We asked Joey where he saw the glass. "At the midpoint," said he.