52 Weeks: A Year to Live (AYTL) Experiment
This year-long experiment can be started at any time. The idea is to treat this year (starting now) as though it were our last. To imbue each week with the appreciation, awe, and curiosity we often forget.
For this reason, there are two interrelated prompts each week—one for writing/expression and one for living away from the page or stage. Both are designed to help you to, if nothing else, remember the intention to live this year as fully as possible.
To experience it all. To live it as you.
“If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make who would you call and what would you say?
And why are you waiting?”
― Stephen Levine
No idea is all our own. This experiment was inspired by A Year to Live by Stephen Levine, Advice on Dying: And Living a Better Life by the Dalai Lama XIV, The Last Lecture by Jeffrey Zaslow and Randy Pausch, Storytelling Alchemy by Renee Damoiselle, and The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. Gratitude to each of these writers and teachers for catalyzing the idea.
What you’ll need:
a journal
a few minutes each week to reflect
a few minutes each day to intentionally remember - I can help you if you subscribe
an open mind
Start anytime. Prompts are at the bottom, in case you’d like to skip the posts.
On moving forward & Week 1 of 52
“My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground on which I stand.”
On mining the messy feelings in creative ways
“Ever since happiness heard your name, it has been running through the streets trying to find you” -Hafiz It’s Week 6! Are you with me? When I think about this year-long experiment, I think about how not to waste time and, instead, embody each moment. I think about taking all my messy feelings and putting them to work.
On how you might change if . . . week 16 of 52
Is there a memory that keeps reminding you of your past? That same one, attached to a story, that arrives more often and urgently than others? This could be the come-up story, the war story, the story of regret, or remorse.
On reverence, art & week 21 of 52
Over the last few days, I met many artisans in Le Marche, a region of Italy nestled between the Apennine Mountains and the Adriatic Sea. Small, remote towns in this area overflow with passion, tradition, history, art, unforgettable food, and a sense of community and camaraderie that (it seems) those in the States can barely imagin…
On the seven (7) thoughts revisited & week 30 of 52
We are always changing. Inside, we’re always recalibrating, finding a slightly different balance point as our bodies regenerate one cell at a time. As we age, the way we see the world is in flux.
On expression & week 40 of 52
Hi, friends — Chaos Magic is out!! If you’re in the market for a little escapism, check it out. Also, who woulda guessed this girl below would’ve ever written a book, let alone a few? I don’t love publishing (I prefer the writing itself over telling people about my writing), but I am proud, and I just might paint my nails red and dance today. Speaking o…
On grabbing the mic & week 45 of 52
I want the young woman in the third row of my class to share her opinions. She’s brilliant and curious, but these things only come out if she’s invited. If she isn’t asked, she doesn’t speak.
On automatic writing, the subconscious & week 49 of 52
“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.” —Roald Dahl
