It’s an interesting time to be alive, much as it would be interesting to picnic inside an active volcano. The world has turned into a minefield, where one approaches every conversation like someone asked to pick his way across an alligator-infested swamp wearing pork chop shoes.
It’s normal to assess someone you encounter to decide if he’s okay to talk with, worth your time (however your inner calculator assesses such things by your personal criteria), all of that. But now it’s also accompanied by a litmus test, a verbal version of “Please pee in this cup and give it to the lab for analysis.”
Conversation’s hard enough for an introvert, more so for someone who is shy (not the same thing). Add all the hurdles one has to vault in order to be judged acceptable for simple conversation these days and it’s almost impossible. Which raises a question: How can we accomplish anything if we can’t even talk to each other to find what we agree on?
We invested a little over a year offering encouragement, without qualifications, without any test that the person must pass to be “worthy” of a moment of our time. We did that by offering something to people, at random. This was the year of making connections, of unexpected moments of grace.
The Love Bead Safe Harbor Pin Project was our first “Random Acts of Art” project. Safe Harbor Pins (safety pins worn to show you believe all people should be treated with respect), hand-beaded and given away, (which is what makes them Love Beads). No qualifications required. Each was a moment of our time, the materials, a bit of creativity, given to someone to offer encouragement. For some, it was a nice surprise, kind of like finding a dollar bill in your pocket you didn’t know you had. Some of us, however, were finding encouragement harder to come by and got tears in their eyes.
If you’re reading this because you got a set of pins, hi and welcome! You were offered a pin and picked out the set you wanted, a gift, freely given. It’s a little piece of our time, a small piece of our lives, given to you to bring you a smile.
If the card your pins came on said, “For you from (name),” then there was a third person with us, who sponsored that set so you could have it, free. Whenever you look at it, remember there are people out there wishing you well, believing in you, wanting good things for you, who got involved so that they could bring you a smile.
If you tried to give us money at a pin giveaway, we appreciate the thought, but we never accepted money at a pin distribution. If you really want to get involved in that way, you can: donate to a charity working on a cause you think is important. Put a few bucks in the donation bucket at an animal shelter, or a museum. Donate to a cause like Opening Doors that helps recent immigrants.
To be honest, I began 2017 sad and worried. It was a tough year in many ways, from my broken finger to a death in the family, someone we both loved very much. We needed encouragement, too, and sometimes the best way to get what you need is to give it to someone else. The interactions we had with people around this project filled us with joy. Introvert though I absolutely am (Mark’s more outgoing), I dropped my little pebbles in the pond, hoping the ripples spread. I’d thought it would be more difficult to entice people into stopping to talk with us, into listening, into accepting pins. It was easier than I ever imagined. Over 90% of those offered pins listened to the meaning of the project and accepted pins, usually with great enthusiasm. Drop your pebble, no matter how small. The ripples will spread.
Thank you to everyone who participated, to those who created pins on their own and distributed them, created pins with us at an event, sponsored materials so pins could be made and given away, or accepted a set of pins. In the end, 1,000 sets were accepted by people who stood on street corners, in parks, in front of museums, and at chance encounters in theme parks, restaurants and shops, publicly confirming their commitment to treating other human beings, even people they might disagree with, or even dislike, with basic courtesy and respect.
There will be other Random Acts of Art, so check back from time to time (or follow our IdeaJones page on Facebook — we’ll announce events there). If you feel like joining in with your own Random Act of Art, please do. We’d love to hear what you did.
Each Random Act of Art has one purpose — to give someone a smile and offer a bit of encouragement. It’s a small thing, but enough small things can become a big thing.