Dec

Before I Die, I Want to Write On a Candy Chang Wall

by Sheron Long on December 5, 2013

Girl writing on "Before I die" wall in Savannah, Georgia, where messages show that people are trying to gain perspective in their lives. Image © Trevor Coe.

Aim high to reach for your dreams and to write on a “Before I Die” wall. (Savannah, Georgia)
© Trevor Coe

Gaining Perspective at the Chalkboard

It was such a simple idea. Some colored chalk, a dusty chalkboard, a single sentence. But when it lit up the hopes and dreams of a community, it ignited similar projects in public spaces around the globe.

Candy Chang painting the "Before I die, I want to. . ." statements on a wall. Image © Kristina Kassem.

Candy Chang setting up a wall to capture a
community’s hopes and dreams.
© Kristina Kassem

Candy Chang’s first “Before I die, I want to . . .” wall went up in New Orleans in 2011. Still growing, the count as of today is more than

400 walls
60 countries
25 languages

For the communities involved, the experience is powerful. Most come to know their community better, gaining perspective on both their personal and shared values.

As Chang says, “The power of the project rests in the hands of the passerby who picks up a piece of chalk, pauses for a moment, and writes something honest, poetic, and occasionally heartbreaking.”

The First Wall—A Creative Idea Comes to Life

With degrees in Architecture, Graphic Design, and Urban Planning, Chang views our public spaces as a way to “nourish our well-being and see that we are not alone as we try to make sense of our lives.”

In New Orleans, she frequently passed by an abandoned house two blocks from her home.

Abandoned house in Candy Chang's New Orleans neighborhood where the first "Before I Die" wall was set up. Image © Candy Chang.

Abandoned house in Chang’s New Orleans neighborhood caught her eye as the site for the first wall.
© Candy Chang

One day, while grieving the loss of a loved one, she saw the old house with new eyes. She decided on a public art project that, by raising the specter of death, would invite the community to fixate on their hopes and dreams.

Like many creative ideas, this one was born through an experience, an “Oh, I see” moment, that pushed Chang to look at life differently.

Once she visualized the idea, she prepared a stencil for the statement and worked with her friends to ready the wall.

Stencil for the "Before I die" statement being created by Candy Chang. Image © Kristina Kassem.

Chang creating the stencil
© Kristina Kassem

And then Chang waited, not knowing if anyone would even understand the invitation to write. She describes the next day: “I was blown away. All eighty lines were filled and responses spilled into the margins.”

"Before I die" wall in New Orleans right after set-up. Image © Candy Chang.

The New Orleans wall set up and ready for writing, but will anyone come?
© Candy Chang

"Before I die" wall in New Orleans within 24 hours after completion. Image © Candy Chang.

Within 24 hours of setting up the wall, every blank was filled.
© Candy Chang

A very full "Before I die" wall in New Orleans. Image © Candy Chang.

The wall kept filling up, getting cleaned, and filling up again.
© Candy Chang

Chang and her friends maintained the wall, documenting it, washing it, replenishing chalk. After seven months, the house sold and the wall came down.

More Walls and a Multitude of Messages

Walls have now popped up worldwide—in Kazakhstan, Portugal, Japan, Mexico, Denmark, Iraq, Argentina, South Africa, the USA, to name a few. And everywhere, people came to write.

Some unleashed their sense of humor, while others went in search of fame, fortune or great love. Dreams ran the gamut from purely practical pursuits to travel adventures far and wide. Most often, however, people sought well-being and a life lived long and well.

Before I die I want to. . .

hug a kangaroo. (Kézdivásárhely, Romania)
stare at the stars with the people I love. (Pohang City, South Korea)
feel comfortable in my skin. (Black Rock City, Nevada)
be tried for piracy. (New Orleans, USA—see photo)

Man writing on the New Orleans "Before I die" wall. Image © Kristina Kassem.

A pirate is a pirate is a pirate who wants “to be tried for piracy”!
© Kristina Kassem

shake the world with my work. (Seoul, Korea)
have my own theme song. (Johannesburg, South Africa)
clean out the attic. (Dublin, Ireland)
eat all the candy and sushi in the world. (New Orleans, USA—see photo)

Mother and daughter writing on the "Before I die" wall in New Orleans. Image © Kristina Kassem.

A mother is just starting to record her dreams, but her daughter is quick to write,
“eat all the candy and sushi in the world.”
© Kristina Kassem

matter to someone. (Minneapolis, USA)
understand women. (Erfurt, Germany)
wave to the Earth from the moon. (Melbourne, Australia)
tell the world I was very happy. (Querétaro, Mexico)

Mother reaching high to write on a "Before I die" wall in Querétaro, Mexico. Image © Candy Chang.

Walls around the world trap dreams no matter the language. (Querétaro, Mexico)
© Candy Chang

Each “Before I die. . .” wall has its unique lifespan from a single day to months or more. But, when participants share the public space with hopes and dreams like these, they gain perspective that just may last a lifetime.

Before I Die Wall in Brooklyn, New York, part of a movement to share hopes and dreams started by Candy Chang. Image © Shake Shack.

Neighbors connect with the community and each other
at the “Before I Die” wall in Brooklyn, New York.
© Shake Shack

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

In Before I Die, written by Candy Chang and published by St. Martin’s Press, you can experience 48 different walls and the wisdoms recorded there.

Visit the Before I Die site to keep up with new walls or to obtain a tool kit for starting a wall in your community. You can also contribute to a “Before I Die” wall online.

Sheron Long 1 Comment

Clever Ideas/Making a Difference/Worldwide Sites

Dec

The World Weighs In On Gift Giving

by Sheron Long on December 2, 2013

Boy chasing after Santa and a gift, illustrating the pressures of the gift-giving season. (Image © Alphaspirit / iStock)

Chasing after the perfect gift
© Alphaspirit / iStock

There’s Wisdom in World Proverbs

The power of a considered gift is stunning. The world has told us that for years:

Gifts break rocks and melt hearts. —Uruguayan

Now that’s a high standard. How am I ever going to melt the hearts of everyone on my list? What happens if gifts exchanged aren’t “equal”? And how can I say “Thanks” and mean it?

I could have talked it over with my dog or asked Emily Post, but instead I decided to consult the whole wide world. Listen in on the conversation.

Girl holding out a gift, representing the act of gift giving. (Image © Kemal Bas / iStock)

Is it the gift or the smile behind it that melts the heart?
© Kemal Bas / iStock

Hey, World. Where’s the Perfect Gift?

My husband Bob has it all—good looks, a fun personality. . . and too much stuff.

Ralph here. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Though my advice is not a proverb, it’s still quotable: The only gift is a portion of thyself.

I don’t think this means to give him an arm and a leg—something more like an experience or an adventure, just spending time together?

I may be Author Unknown, but—yes, you’re right: Every day is a gift, and that is why it’s called the present.

Oh, I see. The gift of time for Bob will melt his heart and keep clutter away. And here’s some real help from Brooke McAlary: 30 ideas for clutter-free gifts.

Family on a hike together, illustrating how time together is the best idea for gift giving.

Time together! For this year’s gift giving, get out of the house and keep the clutter from getting in.
© Fuse

What If My Gift Isn’t “Equal”?

There are so many ways “equal” plays with your brain. Equal to last year. Equal to what I get. Equal in cost. Equal in expectations. Help me, world! Give me the gift of some good advice.

Giving is not trading. —Swahili

Hands that give also receive. —Ecuadoran

Wait a minute. That’s a contradiction, I think. Tell me more.

What you give you get, ten times over. —Yoruba

Starting to get it now. The gifts don’t have to be equal because just the giving gives the giver a rewarding gift, right?

Right!: A bit of the fragrance always clings to the hand that gives you roses. —Chinese

Man holding roses for gift giving. (Image © Plush Studios / Blend Images)

A good gift is thoughtful, chosen with your friend in mind.
That makes it equal, no matter what the cost.
© Plush Studios / Blend Images

OK, I’m learning a lot, but here’s one thing I already know: The fun in giving is thinking about what jazzes your friend and connecting your gift to it. If you have a vampire friend, this means, “Don’t give garlic!”

Shocked vampire taking garlic out of a gift box, illustrating bad gift giving. (Image © Elisanth_ / iStock)

The perfect gift for a vampire is NOT garlic!
© Elisanth_ / iStock

But if you have a granddaughter who loves music and you have a talent, share it.

Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere. —Chinese

Christella Morris at Crawl the Line must already know this bit of wisdom, too—she gives such good ideas and even better reasons to share your experience and your time.

OIC again: When two people give each other something each one loves, the gifts are always equal.

Grandmother teaching her granddaughter to play the piano, illustrating the best kind of gift-gving. (Image © Jack Hollingsworth / Photodisc)

Passing on your gifts may be the most perfect gift of all.
© Jack Hollingsworth / Photodisc

What’s the Best Way to Say “Thanks”?

Long time ago, I learned about the mouth of the gift horse. As horses get older, their gums recede. Look closely and you can tell if the horse is old (long in the tooth) or new for you. Guess that means it’s bad to inspect a gift too closely.

You can say that again, and how many ways do we have to tell you?

Look not a gift horse in the mouth. —Danish, Dutch, French, Italian, Spanish, Romanian

If you receive a gift, don’t measure it. —Kenyan

You do not look at a sheep someone has given you. —Swahili

Alright. No inspecting, but—you know—it’s hard to hide your true feelings.

Man showing different emotions related to gift giving. (Image © Aleksandr Frolov / Hemera)

Being a bad liar, I need a world of help here. Last year, a good friend gave me a “Santa Liar, Pants on Fire” (perhaps to honor my obsession with honesty). It was a candle, and you get what part lit up. And you can imagine the position.

How can I say a genuine “Thanks” for that?

A stone from the hand of a friend is an apple. —Moroccan

The giver makes the gift precious. —American

Gee, thanks. All I needed was a new view. Now I know if I focus on the thoughtful giver and not the gift, I’m sure to smile.

Girl giving gift to father, illustrating a proverb from world cultures. (Image © Todd Wright / Blend Images)

No matter how small the gift or the giver,
a look into your daughter’s eyes makes her gift special.
© Todd Wright / Blend Images

And with that, we wish you a happy gift-giving season, full of the proverbial wisdom from world cultures. Thanks for opening our posts this year. We hope the “Oh, I see” moments inside are gifts that put a smile on your face all year ’round.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Joshua Becker offers a treasure trove of intangible gifts that you can pass along to your children.

Swahili proverbs are from the Center for African Studies at the University of Illinois. “Every day is a gift. . .” is from Inspiration Falls. All others are from one or more of the cross-cultural collections at Special Dictionary, Quotes & Sayings, or Proverbia.

Sheron Long Comments

Proverbs & Sayings/Secrets to Life/Worldwide Sites

Dec

Culture Smart: How Did Thanksgivukkah Happen?

by Sheron Long on December 1, 2013

The hands on the dial of Prague's astronomical clock feature the Moon and the Sun, which are also the basis for calendars created by different cultures. Image © Lucertolone/iStock.

The Moon and the Sun figure prominently in the way different cultures mark time, serving as the
basis for their calendars and gracing old clocks like this one on City Hall in Prague.
© Lucertolone/iStock

Hanukkah and Thanksgiving Day converged in 2013, both falling on November 28 per the Gregorian calendar, creating Thanksgivukkah. And it all happened because of a once-in-a-lifetime calendar mash-up.

Different cultures and religions have created unique ways of marking the passage of time, basing the calendar on the Sun, the Moon, or both.

Solar Calendar: Gregorian

The Gregorian calendar, sometimes known as the western or Christian calendar, is the most commonly used internationally. It is tied to the time it takes Earth to make a revolution around the Sun, which is 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds.

Most years on the Gregorian calendar have 365 days. Since almost 6 hours are lost in these years, one day is added to the calendar almost every four years (Leap Years) to keep the calendar in alignment with Earth’s revolutions around the Sun.

Lunar Calendar: Islamic

The moon takes 29.5 days to go from a new moon to a full moon and back again to a new moon. Following this lunar cycle, the Islamic calendar has 12 months which add to a 354-day year.

Luni-Solar Calendars: Hebrew and Chinese

A luni-solar calendar is based on the cycles of the moon with periodic corrections that bring the calendar in line with solar approaches. For example, both the Hebrew and Chinese calendars add a month every 2-3 years. Even with the periodic corrections, though, the number of days in a year on a luni-solar calendar and a Gregorian calendar do not match.

You can submit photographs of your Thanksgivukkah celebration here.

Learn more about different calendars at InfoPlease: Chinese, Hebrew, Islamic. Hebcal offers lists of Jewish holidays for any year, a date converter between Gregorian and Hebrew calendars, and more.

Time and Date offers printable Gregorian calendars with holidays and observances for any year and most countries. You can vary the display to show a combined selection of holidays and events from different cultures and religions.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Sheron Long Comments

Cultural Diversity/Cultural Heritage & Traditions

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Monthly Archives: December 2013

Before I Die, I Want to Write On a Candy Chang Wall