I have been meaning to write what is a Cookbook for a while, because the only long description I made public is from when it was a Relationship Cookbook.
In a way, it is still the same thing, but it also evolved, it is not only about relationships.
It became simpler, in a way clearer, and more open.
At the moment, I call it “an experiment in participatory wisdom“, and the current incarnation of something I started 8 years ago to collect practical advice and experiences about how to make relationships (and life in general) work. Or sharing how hard it is, and how often we fail, then try again.
It is semi-structured, but open in content. Consider it a bit like an unconference in a 90 minutes box. The whole point is to share “how do we do this thing called life” the way we would share recipes: “I tried this, here is what worked, what didn’t”, and other people can decide if it would fit them.
Not big philosophical questions, no preaching, no telling other people they are wrong or what they do is wrong (no matter how hard you want to say it). At most “I tried that, and it didn’t work, and I have never seen it working: could you help me understand how you do it?”.
The idea is to share about how to do life (and work, and relationships, and everything) the way we would share recipes: we share what we tried, what we adapted, what we find interesting, what worked for us, perfectly knowing that people are different and what works for me doesn’t necessary works for you, and that if I failed, it does not mean you will also fail. [I]but you can at least keep in mind that it is not so simple
And more often than not, we share not having a good answer.
It feels strangely good: “I am not managing this, but realizing it is hard for everyone makes me feel less broken“.
Footnotes