Almost starting but already in the middle

My walking schedule is filled with names. I’m touched. Amazed. Happy. And a bit scared. People gave me the most wonderful tasks, presents, words, thoughts. Lots of money too, which comes in handy but was never the main goal. Originally I was planning to realise this projects through the “normal” channels, apply for funding, promote myself, look for publicity. But I didn’t want to. I wanted this project to be about exchange in a different way. Not me exchanging my skills as an artist for money to realise a project about sharing and storytelling but let the sharing and storytelling create the project itself.  And it did. Many times in the last weeks I opened my computer, found new messages in my mailbox that made me smile, made my mouth fall open, brought tears in my eyes.

I’ll start my walk this Thursday and there is still a lot to organise. For those of you who are already walking with me: you’ll hear from me before I will leave and I will take a tablet with me and write during my journey. For those of you who still would like to join me, in the real or symbolically, please get in touch. In the next post you can read how it works.

I will leave this Thursday, August 15. I will walk 40 days. On my way I will celebrate 8 birthdays, among which are two big ones – 40 & 50 -, my own and a dog’s. I will walk with two dead fathers. I will take over the duty of thinking about somebodies unborn child while she goes to the seaside on that day. I will walk 21.1 km. in flipflops for somebodies dead friend. I will walk with a butler who is walking through Edinburgh to perform his project in the yearly festival over there. I will do a workshop titled Miniature, thinking about smalness and eating a miniature picknick on that day. I will listen to traditional Armenian music. I will walk with the moon. I will learn about writing haiku poetry. I will walk with friends who live far away but will be in Holland when I’m not there. I will read poems and texts people wrote or cherish. I will walk with a dancer who will go out on “our” day to perform a dance for me and her steps will echoe in my ears while I’m walking. I will look for things that go right on Friday 13th. One day I will eat food in one colour only. I will spend two hours watching the sky when Moon and Venus and Saturn are in a special conjunction. I will look for places where a sacred space meets a non-sacred space. I will think about past lovers.