The Experiment – A 365 Day Search For Happiness

“She Is Happy Sleeping In Her Chair With Her Pugs
(Even though everyone thinks she should be sleeping in her bed.)…”

First of all why should you do it? Because maybe it’s time you say what you have to say. (It would also be helpful if you would read yesterday’s blog post about this to further understand what I am proposing.)

In the picture above you see Anna sleeping with her pugs in her recliner chair. I, too, sleep in my recliner chair with my pugs. And everyone worries about it. It is something my therapist wants to “work on,” getting me back to sleeping in my bed. Well I haven’t slept much in a bed since I left my marriage in 1999, I especially haven’t slept much and not for a very long time now, in my bed since the fire (If the fire had started a little later and the pugs and I were asleep back there we would have died in the fire that night, there would have been no way out.) But furthermore, I love my big recliner. I have talked about it before and people laugh. This chair is actually called “The Beast” and will hold a man up to 400 pounds (Mine is the big brown one on the right in the picture.). It is huge and it is the most comfortable chair I have ever had and I love it. Period. End of story. I don’t need to work it out in therapy. The pugs and I are happy and sleep well there. Leave us alone! That’s what that picture at the top of this post says. What do you need to say to the world in your own way? Or share, or work out in blog posts, or write or develop or work on creating a business or make art or work on a book or any other thing under the sun.

A dear one wrote to me after yesterday’s post that she was thinking about joining all of us who are going to do our own 365 day projects together, using the comments section of this blog’s posts each day after I post my post of the day with a link to their own blog’s daily post, we will be accountability partners for each other. There is a tremendous power in creating in community. I have been doing this for 20 years in various circles and groups and communities I have run and it is truly magical. Here’s what I wrote to this woman…

“Ah Dear One, let me tell you something…

Last night I drew Anna and her pugs again, you will see it sometime today. I didn’t get a chance to paint much of it last night. And then I got up this morning, just sat down at my desk, haven’t even had my first sip of coffee yet, and my first thought was, “OH MY GOD!!! WHAT WAS I THINKING??? Spend the next year drawing Anna’s story and writing her book? Impossible!!!!”

I felt somewhat like that last year starting the current 365 day project but the stakes feel higher now, it is a goal with a purpose. And what happens if at the end of the year there is no book? Well, I’ll tell you what, if that’s what happens that’s what will happen, BUT, based on the outcome of this year’s experiment I think I can do it, and further I will BE here every day doing my level best. What this year has taught me, and oh Lordy there have been days I didn’t know how I would do a blog post at all, but I asked myself, “Maitri, if not this, then what? What else are you doing that is so all-fired important that you can’t write a simple little blog post? It can be short, a picture and a few words, but you will feel awful tomorrow if you didn’t do it…” One single blog post, that’s all I had to do on any given day. And today will be Day 342. And my whole life has been changed for the better in so many ways for having done it.

And Anna and her book, well, it’s more daunting because I am not an experienced artist, I have no training, and I am flying by the seat of my pants with every single little drawing, but I’m DOING IT. One day, one drawing, at a time. And at the end of the year maybe I won’t have a book ready yet but I’ll sure have a lot of it done and I’ll have a LOT more experience under my belt. And I’m really scared but I’m going to do it.

There is strength in numbers. Creating in community is awesome. And I would love to have you with me on the journey with your own project. Imagine how you will feel at the end. I’m telling you sister, you will be over the moon…”

And to another dear one I wrote, “I can promise you a 365 day blog challenge is life-changing. And it doesn’t matter what you blog about as long as it is something meaningful to you. More important is the act of showing up each day and doing it, developing a practice. This works magic in our lives. I can’t wait to finish this challenge and start the next but then again I’m in no rush. I’m about to write #342. There’s still time left, and heaven only knows what else might happen between now and then!”

I can honestly tell you that I am a different person with a different life for having done this experiment. So many doors have opened, so many changes have been made, there have been so many gifts and so much magic I can tell you with complete confidence that you will be forever changed by joining us. We start Monday, September 24, the day after I complete this current project. Again read yesterday’s post for more details. As we go along between now and then I will put some helpful ideas for creating your own 365 day project. Are you ready to change your life? I know I am. I hope you’ll join us!