One Hundred Chickens.

by Havi Brooks | Jun 29, 2010

I like rituals. This is not a secret.

I like the way they can be tiny and silly and mysterious all at the same time.

How they cultivate mindfulness but not in some annoying “ooh I’m being mindful” way.

How they can be private and communal at the same time. How they mark time and encourage discernment and reflection.

How you can just make them up whenever you want to.

Two years. Almost.

Just about two years ago (August 8, 2008), I started doing this thing on Fridays where I listed the hard stuff and the good stuff in my week.

First it was called the Round-up. And then it was the Check-In. Which eventually (by Friday Chicken #59) became the Chicken.

The Friday Chicken!

Partly because of the extremely charming chicken graphic my designer made. And partly because the more it became apparent that this was only funny to me, the more I liked it.

And then we couldn’t stop.

I didn’t think I could keep it going for more than a few weeks. But people started joining me.

Pretty soon we had regulars.

And not just what you’d think: everyone chickening about whatever happened in his or her week.

People actively helping each other out, cheering each other’s good stuff, sending love for the hard stuff.

Kind of a weekly get-together. And always a mix of people who have never chickened before and people who do it every week. We care about each other.

I started getting over my “oh, nobody cares about the stupid stuff that happened in your week” monster-stories.

It started being fun.

Like most rituals, it just got kookier over time.

After about fifty-five of them, I was able to stop referring to each one as an “edition”.

Then we started collecting Stuisms.

And thanks to Stu, the meme beach house was born, which quickly became a venue for our Fake Band Of The Week (hint: it’s pretty much always just one guy).

Our Lucy (okay, so we have four commenters named Lucy, but definitely one of ours) came up with the brilliant phrase Chickeneers of the High Seas, which stuck.

Some people call it the Chick’m. And sometimes it’s chickening in, sometimes it’s chickening out.

That’s what happens.

And now we’re just about at one hundred chickens.

Fun Friday Chicken facts!

It was Chicken #8 when the Round-Up became a Check-in.
Apparently I am fabulously inconsistent about the structure and form of Chicken titles and I never know if I’m going to capitalize anything or not.
While I’ve never missed a week, I did accidentally label #41 as #40, so yes, we had #40 twice in a row. That’s corrected here.
I know this because I have a lot of readers who are Virgos.
Even though I talk about being a vegetarian kind of a lot, some people think that I am eating these chickens or making them into soup or things like that. Not even slightly.
For some reason I seem to put quotation marks in most of the early ones. Jazz hands!
But I’m also really inconsistent about that. Go me.
Chickens #15 and #32 actually have the same title, and I totally never noticed that until about five seconds ago.
It’s hard to say which one is better. Which one is good enough to deserve the title?
On the one hand, #15 has the Monty Python Lumberjack song in German, which is AWESOME.
But on the other hand, #32 has the Big Jew Frog. Come on!

Here they are: the first 100 chickens

(Because it’s crazy impressive seeing them all together, and because I want to pick my favorite titles and you can do it with me.)

Okay, here are my favorite titles.

an intrigue of spies
trombones
Moonshine Tailbeam Waterloo Jones

And here is what I like best about chickening every Friday.

The Chickens are about choosing connection over isolation. But also about connecting to yourself.

They’re about remembering what is important and about remembering what didn’t seem important at the time. And giving meaning to things you see and feel and experience.

They’re about making room for the good while not cutting ourselves off from things that are hard and challenging.

Also: I am officially declaring Chicken Amnesty!

Not that you have to leave a comment on a Friday Chicken or ever, because you don’t. I will like you just as much either way.

But if you’re one of the people who has thought that it’s somehow a closed group or that you’ll feel weird being there, I want to give you a loving invitation to chicken with us. Consider yourself welcome always.

Yay Chickens!

A couple weeks ago I was at Pistils on Mississippi watching the chickens do their thing. And they (the store, not the chickens) were selling baby chicks.

There was a girl who was probably three, holding a purple balloon. Her daddy was buying chicks.

And she was just beside herself with joy, running up to everyone in sight and shouting YAY CHICKENS at them. It was perfect. Anyway. Yay, Chickens.

And comment zen for today …

What I would love:

some of your most-loved things about the Friday Chicken or other rituals
some of your most-loved Friday Chicken titles
celebrating the unlikely event of one hundred chickens (assuming I don’t screw it up and we make it to Friday).

Love to all my readers, the commenter mice, the Beloved Lurkers and everyone who has ever been a Chickeneer of the High Seas. You guys are the greatest.

29 Comments

Inge on June 29, 2010 at 5:17 am

100 chickens! 200 chicken feet and 200 chicken wings! That’s quite an audience for the Fake Band of the week.

There are many things to love about the ritual of Friday Chickens, but one of my favourite things is getting to know other Chickeneers through their hards and goods every week. It’s like catching up with the lives of dear friends on a weekly basis and a very good reminder that you’re not alone. The title that catches my eye every time is ‘how do I look with this monocle?’.

I used to be a somewhat regular Chickeneer, but chickened out when too many weeks in a row were only hard. It took too much digging in my foggy brain to come up with little bits of goodness, so I stopped (which, it turns out, is a pattern: other story, other time). The hard is almost over though, so I’ll be rejoining the ranks when I’m physically able to see summaries of my weeks in writing again. Celebrations!

Yay, chickens!
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Hiro Boga on June 29, 2010 at 6:15 am

Yay chickens! A fine flock of 200.

I have so many favorite titles, it’s impossible to choose just one–some of them make me laugh out loud; others bring a warm glow of remembrance. All of them are reminders to share celebration and commiseration in community. All of them remind me, too, that both the hard and the good are worthy of attention, love and honor.

Thank you, Havi, for this and all the other rituals that create this magical hangout!

Love, Hiro
.-= Hiro Boga´s last post … Can you wear your crown when you’re ill or in pain =-.
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Heids (@moonheids) on June 29, 2010 at 6:54 am

Now you can have a theme song:

One hundred editions of chickens on the blog,
one hundred editions of chicks,
write one down, comment around,
one hundred editions of chickens on the blog …
.-= Heids (@moonheids)´s last post … Growing up and up and up =-.
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Chris Anthony on June 29, 2010 at 7:17 am

100 chickens! Wow.

The first chicken I remember reading is, I think, the Headless Chicken Edition (#23), but it’s hard to tell because I went back and read all of them after I realized they were numbered. The first title I remember seeing in my blog reader is the “Don’t Be Such An Acetyl” Edition (#29), but I know I had you added to my reader before that… Ah, memory.

And my favorite title? #59, “Goodbye, 5769”. Because if you don’t know what 5769 stands for, it sounds like the name of a 1970s dystopian-sci-fi comedy. “Who put synthetic prune juice in the Soylent Green feed hopper? Ohhh, 5769, when I get my hands on youuuu…” And 5769 slinks away, grinning.

Thank you, Havi. ♥
.-= Chris Anthony´s last post … Everyday delight =-.
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Beth on June 29, 2010 at 7:26 am

I like monocles. And pretty pretty princesses. (query: could the two be combined? some sort of what’s it called, steampunk princess? I can kind of picture that…)

I also really like chickens. They help me to come up with something good that happened that week, even if it was small, which gives me something better to remember than the hard. And they give me a place to put the hard. It’s like having a box that’s big enough to stand in for a few minutes while putting the hard in and maybe rearranging it a little and poking at all its sides to make sure I understand what’s there, but when I’m done, it shrinks down into a little bit of a thing that holds the hard and gives it some company. Or something like that. Whatever it does, I like it.

Plus, it reminds me that it’s Friday. My days tend to blend into each other, so I appreciate the sense that time is in fact passing. (some weeks I appreciate it more than others, of course…)

Thank you Havi! (and everybody.)
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Riin on June 29, 2010 at 7:56 am

Oh, I love the chickens. It’s a ritual that lets me reflect on my life, discuss the hard without worrying about being perceived as a whiny, negative Eeyore, just reflecting, and noticing the good things, however small, and sometimes seeing how the good and the hard are connected. I’ve come to really look forward to the chickening. Very insightful.

And reading everyone else’s chickens lets me see how we’re all human. We’re all in this together.
.-= Riin´s last post … Yep- I’m up to stuff =-.
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Leocadia on June 29, 2010 at 7:57 am

Wow, chicken no. 100 – and I will miss it because I will be away for a long weekend without internet access.
What I love about chickening:
– Having a moment to collect my thoughts about the week.
– Whatever the hard, there is ALWAYS something good note and this is uplifting.
– Reading the other comments and feeling for all the other chickeneers’ hard and good and finding things that resonate with my own emotions or experiences.

Thanks, Havi, for having created the chicken. It is my favourite place on the web.
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Dawn on June 29, 2010 at 7:57 am

I think it was the Friday Chickening that inspired me to do my own daily “chickening,” in the form of a dreaded Gratitude Journal. Every day I list what I’m grateful for and in what ways I rocked my day. So kind of a more narrow focus on the good, with an emphasis on how I’m good. There were too many days when I didn’t feel so hot, and this kind of ritual (especially, for whatever reason, in a list format) has helped pull me out of many a slump.

So, the ritual of the Friday Chicken helped me develop my own rituals. Through my participation in the Friday Chickening, I realized I could keep them going, and that they were cumulatively helpful. I LOVE reading other people’s weekly hards and goods; it really does make me feel less alone. At some point, I realized I could do this for myself as well – a quick daily check in that reminded me of my own competence and goodness.

I’m grateful for the space you’ve opened up for me, both here and in my non-virtual life as well.
.-= Dawn´s last post … All the Monsters Have Hearts =-.
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chicsinger simone on June 29, 2010 at 8:34 am

Yay chickens! I don’t always post but I sure enjoy reading and sending mental hugs & cheers to all fine chickeneers!

Rituals FTW, esp. silly and mysterious and tiny ones. They make the world go round.

cheers and hugs to Your Haviness and Her Royal Selmosity!
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Pam on June 29, 2010 at 8:35 am

I love the friday chickens, but I really never thought that I should join in. I have that weird things where I don’t really want to intrude into something that seems established… I’m also not the best at rituals… I love them, I love the symbols… but I can’t seem to remember to write on one day out of the week I’m so random.
I want to join in… I’m really into connecting, I’m just “shy” at doing it I guess… but I read them all and I “Yay chickens” every week on my own… and sometiems I write checkins on my blog too when I’m too shy to participate here 🙂

Thanks Havi!!
.-= Pam´s last post … Small Collection of Stuff and Things =-.
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LaShae on June 29, 2010 at 8:42 am

Argh ye Chicken 100 ye be

Wow I don’t even remember when I started chickening because at first I was too chicken to chicken under my name. But I am so so glad for all the Chickneers of the High Seas and our fearlessly kooky Pirate Queen Havi.

There is no way I can choose a favorite but I can choose the ones that made me go huh, what on earth does she mean, dang I missed it, didn’t I?

Goodbye, 5769
trombones

I’ve missed many a Chicken. Why? Well yes Virginia sometimes I don’t see the good, I only see the hard and I’d rather not chicken the hard, when I don’t see the good. I mean really, does the hard NEED more time in the spotlight alone? Seriously?
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Kai on June 29, 2010 at 8:58 am

Now that is a lot of chickens!

The chicken I remember best is the Balkan Burrito hangover chicken, although my top two favourites were extra stompy and I don’t even know what woozle means. Because I love saying the word woozle. Woozle!

I was kinda bummed that I missed last week’s chicken (I was on a date for 14 hours. No – really, and it was our FIRST date.) but I will be here for the next chicken, armed with confetti and a celebratory cupcake.

And in honor of so many awesome chickens – a song. (Or rather, a song by DJ Bobo in which I replaced the word “chihuahua” with “chicken”.)

What can make you move? Chicken!
Can you feel the groove? Chicken!
What can make you dance? Chicken!
Ohh, chicken!
What can make you sing? Chicken!
Take it and you’ll you win! Chicken!
What can bring you joy? Chicken!
Ohh, chicken!
What can make you shout? Chicken!
What it’s all about! Chicken!
What can bring you love? Chicken!
Ohh, chicken!
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Josiane on June 29, 2010 at 9:16 am

There are so many great titles in that list! I must admit I have a soft spot for the “pirate jedi monster princess silly troll chicken”, though – it brings back so many good memories!
One thing that’s a bit disturbing about the Friday Chicken is how fast it sneaks up on us every week! Ok, it’s not its fault, really; my weird and warped relationship to time is most certainly the culprit but still – Friday already? (By the way, I’m thouroughly conditioned, now: as soon as I saw today’s post title, I thought “what? Friday already?”, and in my mind it was entirely plausible – it’s written One Hundred Chickens, therefore it’s Friday.) 🙂
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lynn @ human, being on June 29, 2010 at 9:48 am

The Chickens are my favorite. I [big heart] them for so many reasons, if only to get rid of the yuck and remember the good. I suppose I could do them on my own blog, but I like that when I do them here, I get the feeling that other Chickeneers are saying “blessings on the hard, blessings on the good” even if they don’t read a single word of what I write here. It feels like Friday service, and makes me feel grateful to have some people. And a place where, even though there’s rarely anything I won’t write about on my blog, I can write anything & feel unjudged because that seems to be the rule here. Judge not, just hug and yay.
.-= lynn @ human, being´s last post … My cat is stoned and staring at me =-.
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Gadgetgirl on June 29, 2010 at 10:30 am

I truly look forward to Fridays for the Chickens! And for all the reasons put forth by everyone else. But especially to see that I don’t have a corner on the hard in the world even if some weeks it feels that way. And to remind me that even the suckiest week has something positive that occurred.

And even if I rarely comment on something another Chickeneer writes, know that I say a little prayer for your hard and that I rejoice in your good.

Thanks, Havi, for providing this safe place and thanks to my fellow Chickeneers for showing up each week!

Hugs to all!
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Mechaieh on June 29, 2010 at 12:04 pm

How I know the Friday chicken has become part of my own rituals: when I see Wimbledon’s writeup of Rendy Lu’s win and think, “Oh, I can’t wait to list this on Friday!”

(Missed the chicken altogether last week because I was beyond fried, but that’s also one of the things I like most about it — that it isn’t a must-do, but a lovely get-to-do.)
.-= Mechaieh´s last post … NOT a self-portrait =-.
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Lindsay on June 29, 2010 at 1:08 pm

Definitely one of my favorite things about the chicken is when I read a hard and I think, “Me too!” and in that moment I don’t feel so alone. Even though it may seem obvious that we all share similar (though not identical) problems, it’s still really nice to be reminded of it each week.

And sometimes I read a particularly nice good and just the reading of it makes me feel happy. Or I find myself smiling remembering when that thing (or something similar) has happened to me. 🙂

Long live the Chicken! Hip Hip Hooray!
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Kathleen Avins on June 29, 2010 at 2:03 pm

I’m suddenly imagining a blending of the Hundred Chickens and Eleanor Estes’ The Hundred Dresses. Now, that would be a fun illustration!

It is mighty impressive, seeing all those Chickens all in a row (well, okay, a column). I went hunting for my own virgin Chicken; it appears to have been the Irony and Pixels edition. And “frozen pipes are not a euphemism, dammit” still makes me chuckle, even as I shiver in empathy.

Extra-excitedly anticipating Friday now!
.-= Kathleen Avins´s last post … Intention =-.
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Laurie on June 29, 2010 at 2:29 pm

I love the chickens!

I may revive my copy-cat ritual (all credit appropriately given) on my blog because it REALLY DOES help me stay connected to myself.

Which is where I want to be!

Thanks, Havi. And, yay! Chickens!
.-= Laurie´s last post … Eating of the forbidden fettucini and be naturally thin =-.
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killermouse on June 29, 2010 at 5:16 pm

Doing the chicken dance to celebrate 100!

This is why I love the Chickens (and therefore dance in their honour) !! I love that it’s called chicken; that it gives me a chance to reflect and take a helicopter view of the week that was, it becomes a chapter in my story and feels sort of worth it, Future Me can read it again and again and feel love for Past Me, the sharing -life’s nothing without a group hug (even if it’s virtual).

Fav titles – Robot crustaceans, Battle of the Fake Bands (should be more of it) and Moonshine Tailbeam and Waterloo Jones.

Happy day all, where ever you may be
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Paul on June 29, 2010 at 5:37 pm

Congrats on the milestone!

I love beginnings — always curious about how things start. So I checked out your first Round-Up. Then a few others, jumping from Chicken to Chicken using the “if you liked this” links.

Curious how your writing evolved from paragraphs to sentences.

Thinking perhaps your partaking of the Twitter bar was an influence?
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Marie on June 29, 2010 at 6:26 pm

My favorite Friday Chicken Title is #2 ’cause I can’t stop singing, “I’ve been through the desert with a Friday Chicken with no name!”

Yay chickens!
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Elizabeth on June 29, 2010 at 11:07 pm

I love the Friday chicken, even if I don’t always chicken myself. While I can’t help but wish that there was no hard, it feels comforting, in a sense, to know that we all have hard and good. And I love offering up a happy cheer for all the good.

My favorite titles are progably and frizzy hair, though I am partial to monocles.

Hey – can I ask what FTW means? I see it used all around the interwebs, and I have no idea what it is.
.-= Elizabeth´s last post … an introduction and a story =-.
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Chris Anthony on June 30, 2010 at 11:32 am

Elizabeth, “FTW” stands for “for the win”. It was originally a video-game thing, referring to the special move that got you the victory (probably, in fact, it derives ultimately from sports), but these days you can just read it as meaning “is awesome”: “bobbysox FTW” = “bobbysox are awesome”, “this turkey FTW” = “this turkey is awesome”, etc. 🙂
.-= Chris Anthony´s last post … Everyday delight =-.
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Havi Brooks on June 30, 2010 at 6:21 pm

Thanks, you guys!

What fun to check in online and see all of these lovely things.

So much good, useful, insightful stuff here about rituals and about the benefit of having a designated time/space to Do A Thing in the company of others.

I will be reading these comments again and seeing what I can synthesize.

@Marie – if you and the rest of the Snake Charmers do a recording of “I’ve been through the desert with a Friday Chicken with no name”, I will come to Houston to see you guys play. 🙂

@Paul – huh, I hadn’t made a Twitter connection, but maybe. That’s certainly possible. Must think back some more.

@killermouse – Killermouse Chicken Dance! Nice.
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Christy Brennand on July 1, 2010 at 8:38 am

I recently discovered the Friday Chicken, and although I am not quite ready to chicken in public with all of the Chickeneers, I am privately chickening every Friday and it feels great. It’s better than therapy. Thanks Havi.
.-= Christy Brennand´s last post … Lessons from a Little Zen Kitchen in Oregon =-.
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Lucy on July 2, 2010 at 3:05 am

One hundred chickens! I think I dropped in sometime in the late 50s and let me tell you, I’m glad I did.

Coming here every week got me through some very tough times.

More recently I’ve been a little absent for which, my apologies, so it was nice to be remembered in Havi’s post for the Chickeneers of the High Seas, something that naturally grew out of all the pirating talk..

I salute you, Chickeneers! Let’s raise our flagons to many more – arrrrrrrr.
.-= Lucy´s last post … Brighton Sunshine =-.
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Shannon Henry on July 12, 2010 at 7:30 pm

I had not noticed, or perhaps forgotten, the deliciously geeky pun in the title of #29. I adore you!

Seeing the Friday Chicken title always reminds me of my summer working as academic director at a camp during college. The first week, I was putting together a staff schedule and mistyped Roster as Rooster. We ran with it – all summer we continued to make up ‘duty roosters’ and I found a different rooster picture to adorn the top of each one. At the end of the summer, the camp staff put together a mix cd for everyone to take home as a keepsake of the summer and a way to remember each other, complete with liner art made up proclaiming that the CD was by “Ace and the Duty Roosters”.
.-= Shannon Henry´s last post … Urban Craft Uprising is coming- =-.
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Havi Brooks on July 13, 2010 at 11:17 am

@Shannon – the Duty Roosters! I LOVE it. Love so much. That’s brilliant and wonderful. Thank you.
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