How do we go from one year to the next?
around the circle, filling in the blanks
Around The Circle, Filling In The Blanks — an exercise first introduced to me by theater-maker Deb Margolin — is something I’ve only ever done in person. You sit in a circle with everyone who’s participating, and Deb says aloud the sentence you’re going to finish. One by one, each person says the whole sentence: you start with the part Deb said and then you finish the sentence with your own words.
I am imagining everyone reading this newsletter sitting in a circle, in a room, looking at each other. There are people I’ve met before and people I’ve never met before, and the same is true for you. We see each other’s faces, we feel each other’s vibes, the air becomes the air we all breathe.
In this version of Around The Circle Filling In The Blanks, the room we are sitting in is a Google Form. Do you want to enter the room? Click here.
For each blank, I’ve filled in my answer. In the box that reads “Your answer,” I encourage you to type in your answer, starting with the beginning of the sentence and concluding with your own words. You should always be writing a full sentence. Write whatever comes to your mind first. All answers are anonymous.
If you’re not sure what to write, I encourage you to say the beginning of the sentence out loud, and finish it out loud, and then write down what you say.
I’ll share the Filled In Blanks with everyone who reads this newsletter on New Year’s Eve 2024. We’ll think about what this year was like. We’ll see what other people thought this year was like. We’ll move into the next year.
Around the circle, filling in the blanks — begin.