Your Space.
You Aren’t Crazy.
This exercise will be out of the blue and may seem utterly ridiculous, but I think we have done enough in our “business as usual” mode.
Today, you will be making a fort, kids or no.
First, a Story:
My freshman year in college was fun. I had a fun roommate, and life was pretty great. One day, I discovered my roommate had never made a fort. Ever. I decided this needed to change.
We gathered blankets, moved furniture, and used whatever we could get our hands on. The place was utterly transformed. We had separate compartments and levels. Her bike even came into play.
All was well and fine in our little space, until I saw a mouse scamper under the heater. I screamed, ran out into the hall and into the little landing area, and began to tell my RA what had happened.
Somehow, a little group of people had gathered around us, and before I could piece together college/fort living, they had all followed me to my dorm room. The door opened and everyone looked in. Then they looked at us. I explained how my roommate had never made a fort. I think they must have secretly been jealous, but what I saw was a bunch of blank stares….
Things Needed:
1. Pillows, blankets, sleeping bags, scarves, strings of lights, and whatever else brings joy and is colorful.
2. Your calendar. Make sure no one was going to come over for dinner, unless you would like to explain yourself.
3. A sign that says “Do Not Disturb” to put on your front door if you don’t want any unexpected visitors.
4. Permission. If doing this little activity is going to bring dissension between those you share the space with, take heed. Self expression is great until it isn’t. Find middle ground. This is a creativity workshop, after all. Better yet, get your person/people on board. For added inspiration, look up what Kurt Schwitters did with his home…
How did it go?!
I would love to hear your own fort story!