A

book
of
suggestions

by
robin lambert
and
emma hooper
Nap in public

Make a sign that reads ‘do not disturb’

on stiff paper. Carry this with you in your
bookbag or attache case when you are
going to be out for a while. It might be
a good idea if this sign is attached to a
small stake or is folded in half like a tent
so you can put it in a number of different
places. Keep your eye out for nice plac-
es that seem quiet and are not too hid-
den from sight. Use your jacket as your
pillow and keep your backpack under
one arm. Place the sign on your chest or
on the ground in a visible place. Good
places to start napping are parks and
public libraries. Keep a list of these sites
so when you are walking around and
you get tired you will know of a good
spot to have a nap. If your list gets long
and detailed, consider printing it off and
sharing it with your friends on their birth-
days. Don’t nap longer than 20 minutes
or you will be groggy.
Make someone’s day

Bake a few dozen cookies (or brown-

ies or whatever your specialty is) and
wrap them into small packages of 5 or
6 cookies. Carry these around with you
in a box. Throughout the day, whenever
anyone starts to complain about another
person offer them a trade - if they stop
complaining you will give them some
cookies. This will make
them happy, and also,
you will not have to
listen to someone
complain. You could
also do this with
chocolate bars,
flowers or
pancakes (but
if you choose
pancakes you
might need to
carry syrup in
your box).
Give gifts to everyone

Cut lovely images out of magazines.

Pictures of things that make you smile.
Tape them up in public places. On lamp-
posts, on train windows, on shopping
trolleys.

Smile while you do it.

Find treasure

Look down. Walk the streets of your

city looking down. Be careful not to hit
any poles or cars or people while you
do it, you might need to sometimes look
up, a bit, to ensure this, but, mostly, try
to look down. Tell yourself that on this
journey, this trip from, say, your apart-
ment to the grocery store, or from the
park to the university, you must find at
least one beautiful thing. A button, a lost
note, a coin. And you will, you will find
them. And when you do, stop, pick them
up, hold them in your hand, and look
at them, feel them and feel lucky and
proud of your treasure. Then put it in
your pocket and continue on.

If you do this twice or three times or so,

you’ll build the habit and you’ll find your-
self finding treasure nearly every time
you walk. Fill your pockets.
Send a leisurely letter

Write a letter to a friend. It does not mat-

ter what it is about, specifically, but may-
be it is some news about an upcoming
vacation or something equally exciting.
Address the envelope to a fictional per-
son or place in another country, prefera-
bly as far away as possible and put your
friends address as the return address.
When the letter gets to Australia (or
wherever you choose) it will be returned
to your friend (you
will have to pay full
postage for the let-
ter to actually travel
around the world).
Not only will your
friend have good
news in the mail,
but the letter will
also have traveled
a great distance to
get to them.
Walk differently

• Go somewhere without a plan.

• Let a friends from out of town lead the

way.

• Walk at a different time than you nor-

mally do. Walk in the middle of the night.
Walk very early in the morning.

• Every third intersection, turn left.

• Take the subway to a new neighbor-

hood every week. Walk it. Get to know
it.
See what you are missing

On regular day, carry a camera with you

everywhere you go for the entire day.
For the entire day, take photographs of
things you have never seen before, of
things you have not noticed before - be
on the lookout for the new amongst the
day to day. Save these pictures for a
week before you look at them and when
you do, look for what you have been
missing each day.
Go on a silent date

Do this after a week where you have

had too much talking and listening and
are mentally tired. Go to your friend’s
house to pick them up. From this point
on, neither of you talk. From your friends
house, walk to the nearest public transit
and take it to a theatre. Be sure to sit
together on the bus or train but do not
talk. Walk from the stop to a movie the-
atre. Try not to say anything to the ticket
taker. Do the same when you get pop-
corn and a drink. Sit through the movie
in silence no matter how scary or funny
(you can laugh or scream on the inside).
When the movie is finished, walk back to
the transit station, take the bus or train
back to your friend’s, walk back to their
place and say goodbye. Maybe goodbye
is the only thing you say that night. Or
maybe you hug good night.
Have dinner with strangers

Make a list of people you know a bit but

would like to know better. Invite them
all to your place for a sunday night after
dinner snack. Ask each person you in-
vite to also bring one other person they
also would like to know better. Invite
a lot of people as not everyone will be
able to come. Ask them to bring snacks
and drinks and chairs just in case you
do not have enough. Supply name tags,
refreshments and music. It might also be
a good idea to have an end time set if
you have to work on monday morning.
Make the city your playground

Take a few friends and a couple city

blocks and play:

Hide and go seek

or
Tag
or
Sardines
or
Capture the flag
or
Cops and Robbers
or
Wink murder

Don’t do anything ille-

gal. Don’t worry
about looking silly.
Just play. Strangers
might ask what you’re
doing. They might
ask to join you.
Say yes.
Make real imaginary friend

Next time you are somewhere with a

lot of other people, a lot of strangers,
choose three that don’t look like people
you would normally be friends with and
make up their whole stories. Write their
lives in your head.

• Where are they from?

• Where are they going?
• What do they want more than anything
right now?
• Who do they love most?
• What makes them sad?
• What would happen if two of your real
imaginary friends met?
• What if they met you?
Spend time

Don’t talk. Hold hands.

Contributers Biographies
Emma writes things and plays music. She has a book called
“The Alphabet Boys,” a band called “The Cedar,” a teaching
job at Bath Spa University and an almost-Doctorate from the
University of East Anglia. She lives in England where she
loves the rain and flowers but often misses Canadian home.

Robin makes art things and teaches art things. He occasion-

ally hosts Dinners for Strangers, is in a Gang (the Social
Evolution Research Gang), teaches at Red Deer College
and has big plans for the future. He was born in British Co-
lumbia but raised in Alberta - not in the circus but he thinks
that would have been cool.

They both would like to thank Erin K. Hooper for her illustra-
tive assistance.

Emma and Robin are practicing Retro-Modernists.