As a kid, I was a punk. A real snot nose bratty little punk kid. Full of anger, attitude and pranks. I loved mean pranks. The house that was T.P'ed on a cold Autumn night that turned into a dewy Fall morning. The soapy window. The burning bag of dog poop on the door step. The prank call to that busy person asking if they had Prince Albert in a can or if their refrigerator was running? Those sorts of pranks. Mean and hateful. No one ever got hurt, but it wasted time and certainly didn't add to their well-being or make the world a better place to be. Now, I'm not telling you all about this because I am the least bit proud of this fact about me in my youth. In fact, looking back, it was a total waste of energy and time, and talk about earning negative karma points. I am telling you, because I now feel like those pranks came out of a driving need to for high drama and creative expression. I am happy to say over the years I've learned and developed more healthier and constructive ways of getting those driving needs met. I feel that needs that drive us get met anyway possible. It's only by acknowledging we have those needs and discovering positive forms for their expression, do we grow and evolve as a person, and contribute to the world. The other part of the prank, for me, was doing something that no one ever knew who did the prank. As the person was hanging up the phone (prank phone calls are now really in the past, thanks to Caller ID), or cleaning up the mess, this person would say out of frustration. "Who does this sort of thing?!" I know. I know.
It's twisted and I didn't say it was a healthy form of expression, now did I?
Which brings me to this week's project. Last week, I was invited to join Angels For Hope. This organization sends out Angels, Butterflies and Smiley Faces that are hand crochet to people who are in need of a bit of cheer in their lives. It is done a bit anonymously. The friend of the person who needs cheer, sends in a request, and the person making the Angel, Butterfly or Smiley Face, crotchets it up and mails it out, enclosing a card with a note of cheer and to let the person know that they are loved. We don't sign it, but the person knows it comes from Angels For Hope. It's not a prank, but a wonderful way to help people know they are loved and cared about in a time of need. I really like the idea of this project. As it is so positive, so made out of love and so unexpected. It's is my hope that the person receiving my hand made Angel, will not only know they are cared about and loved, but might ask themselves in a sweet way. "Who does this sort of thing?"
And this is another positive and constructive way for me to get my high drama and creativity needs met. Making the angels is deceptively hard. I've been crocheting off and on for over 30 years. I made this angel over four times to get it looking right and to understand the patterns. Fair pay back, as I don't think it would ever be as hard as picking up toilet paper stuck to a wet lawn on a weekend morning. And the organization asks that you commit to making one a week for a year. (Which will be easier now that I understand the pattern.) I won't have a bit of scrap yard left in the house! Upon completing this item and sending it off, it felt better than I've felt with a creative project for sometime. I don't ever remember feeling this good pulling a prank.
Angels For Hope is a group of 425 (now 426) crocheters who make and send out at least 3,000 to 4,000 items a month. Their goal for this year is 83,000 angels to people. Yes! You read that one right. That's a lot of hope for people in times of need. It's really the essence of creating to feel great.
In closing this week I'd like to ask, is there some need you are meeting in less than constructive ways? If so what is it and how can you start meeting it constructively?
So, until next week ya'all...get out there and create to feel great!
28 projects complete! 24 to go!
If you are interested in Angels for Hope, you can find out more about them at...www.angelsforhope.org
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