The other day it crossed my mind that I should provide some background on how my Jedemi project came about. It’s been years in the making. In fact, I tied the beginning to the purchase of my first Jeep in June 1993. But really, the seeds were planted long before that.
So here are a few things I have dug up from the files.
Belgium inspiration…
This cafe in Belgium caught my eye and seemed to capture how I had imagined the Jedemi Cafe would look on the outside.
First articulation of the concept.
I had played around a bit with doing PowerPoint decks explaining the cafe concept. I believe this document is the first time I sat down and really tried to explain what Jedemi was all about (August 1998).
In May of 1995, while I was still formulating my ideas and doing tons of reading, I made a discovery that Rollo May (“The Cry for Myth,” “The Courage to Create,” “Man’s Search for Himself”) lived in the Bay Area — in Tiburon (Marin County). I figured he would totally “get” what my project was about, especially the mythology/stories I was creating. So I found his address and wrote to him.
My letter to Rollo May
A short while later, I received a letter back.
Response Letter – Top
That was jaw-dropping news. I was pretty bummed out but continued to read.
Closing portion of the letter.
Basically, Rollo May’s wife send me some encouraging words. Very cool.
As for Rollo, he has become Rollie will be joining the gang hanging out in Jedemi Cafe.
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[…] agree. The Jedemi project is one needing a home. It is suited to fan the imagination of the 20, 30 and 40-somethings who […]