Make 1000 paper cranes for peace

I have not worked on this in a while but I am feeling the need to get back to it. I got my origami paper out last night and reviewed the instructions. I still have a strong urge to finish this. It will connect me with my sister and fill my spirit with peace.

Sitting at the breakfast bar, watching the football game, quietly and competently folding a dozen paper cranes. Coming to understand that perfection is not the goal here. Peace is.

So, I really didn’t want to watch the train wreck that is The Bachelor and I wasn’t interested in the couple looking for a house in San Francisco on House Hunters and it was too late to start the next chapter in Major Pettigrew so I thought, “Why not fold some cranes?” I folded 7 really fine ones tonight. Funny thing, I find myself feeling anxious about doing them right…tensing up on the first few each time. But then I shake it off and get into a rhythm and before I know it, 7 more cranes are done and I am ready for bed.

I find this goal to be equal parts frustration (when I screw up a couple of cranes in a row)and relaxation (when my fingers and the paper become one). But the effects of the relaxation response are so much stronger than those of the frustration response that I really enjoy this when I am working on it. And, at our Open House the other night, many people commented on how lovely the one string of 40 I have completed looks. So, I have 173 done as of today. That leaves me with 827 between now and next Christmas. Broken down, that is about 70 per month. That is certainly doable. And I will do it.

When I ran out of the oragami paper I started with, I went back to the store to get more but they didn’t have the same size so I had to be some slightly larger and it is more cumbersome to work with. I crumbled about six pieces today because I couldn’t get them right and I ended the day with only one completed crane. I may be frustrated but I am not discouraged. I will get this done.

I finished my second 49 yesterday and went on the hunt for more paper. The good news is I found some. The bad news is that it is bigger than what I was using. The good news is I have decided it doesn’t matter about the size of the paper. I will string my second 40 tomorrow night and then start folding again.

As I was stringing the first 40 of my paper cranes, I got a call from my friend, Laura, whose family has experienced so much loss and is currently going through another time of transition. I dedicate this first string to Laura and her husband, Greg, for peace, hope and healing.

I have enough for my first string. From what I have read, the tradition is to make 25 strings of 40 cranes each. I have started putting them into one of my clear glass bowls as I finish each one. The thought is to stop at every 40 and string them. By Christmas, I want to have all 25 strings completed and hang them in the front window, much like the ones I saw in Missoula on the magical December night with my sister.

And,it seems, this is more than just a project for me. It doesn’t just fill some time on a Sunday afternoon. My spirit is calmed and filled at once. I can only imagine that as I move through this process, I will come to find some deeper places of peace in me that I have not visited in a long time.

for a total of six. I am starting to get the hang of this. Sadly, I have tried before to figure out how the make the paper cranes but couldn’t quite get it (I can be a bit challenged when it comes to things like this). Anyway, by time I finished the fourth crane tonight, I was able to do it mostly without watching the little video again. Now the challenge will be to try to make some tomorrow and see if I remember.

I found a fairly easy to follow video demonstrating how to fold a paper crane and, in a matter of minutes, I had my first one folded! 999 to go!