Development Note #26
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Gentle Thursday is a funny name for a day. As a statement, it kind of throws you off balance for a second—what’s gentle about Thursday? And why not Friday? Gentle Thursday as a concept was created by the poet, Philip Whalen (1923-2002). Whalen was a second world war vet, a Buddhist practitioner, he lived at a Zen center and eventually became a monk. He was accepted as one of the sixties “beat poets,” was friends with Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady, and Gregory Corso. During his lifetime Whalen authored some twenty collections of verse, two novels, autobiographical literary journals, and dozens of critical essays.
In March, 1965, Whalen went around San Francisco putting up a flier that read: “Nobody listening to you? Stop yakking. If we STOP Everyone will know: We want peace & quiet & liberty for all. Celebrate Gentle Thursday.”[i] Since then, the idea seems to have been practiced mainly on college campuses, popping up in the University of Texas in Austin, the University of Oklahoma, University of Denver, Pennsylvania State University.
I first experienced a Gentle Thursday in Austin, in and around the campus of the University of Texas. Participants went around the campus putting up fliers and handing out buttons that stated things like, “Make Gentle Art,” and “Say Hello to Gentle Thursday.” People used colored chalk to draw on sidewalks and sat on the campus green and invited passersby to join them for snacks or to sing a song.
Gentle suggests a friendly, calming manner. Dedicating a specific day to gentleness gives credence to the idea that it’s worthwhile to express or practice that concept.
Many years after my gentle experience at the University of Texas, I found myself wondering if this idea could translate to the workplace. I was working as a clinical engineer in St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center (now a part of Mount Sinai Health System, located in Manhattan). During an administrative meeting, I suggested to a group of department heads that we institute Gentle Thursday at the hospital.
I really don’t know what compelled me to do that. It’s true I felt comfortable with this group of administrators, but Gentle Thursday hardly represented a typical employee appreciation event—if that’s even what it was. Incredibly, the administrators accepted the idea and enthusiastically came up with several suggestions of how to adapt it to a hospital environment. The goal we set was to promote a more friendly and relaxed atmosphere in the (otherwise somber) hospital setting.
For one month, on each Thursday, department directors went around handing out small cards printed with greetings like “This Ticket Entitles You to One Free Smile” and “Be Kind, It’s Gentle Thursday.” Patients and staff often reacted first with a quizzical look, followed by a smile. Some offered the greeting back: “And a Gentle Thursday to you too.” Perhaps it snapped a few people out of whatever problem they were thinking about.
A Gentle Thursday promo poster from a 1992 event at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital.
Some tickets entitled the bearer to free ice cream at the cafeteria. A musician was hired to play in different areas of the hospital, and a video was created of employees giving friendly greetings like “Hi St. Luke’s!” or “Good morning everyone!” The video was shown in the hospital lobby for the month.
The video greeting was a fun project. Employees knew they were contributing to something that was challenging the emotional status quo, and many felt inspired to add their own personal touch—everyone had their own unique way of saying hello.
Any community can create a Gentle Thursday. Gentle activities like this can disrupt normal social boundaries in a friendly way, offering opportunities for community members to become better acquainted. And it doesn’t matter what name you give to the project, it’s the exercise of bringing people together in a more personal and fun way that counts.
Stanford University has an event they call Gentle Reset, and this is how they describe it: “How can we embrace the new beginning of a year while honoring the continued reality of our circumstances? This noontime webinar introduces principles of mindfulness and self-compassion as tools for meeting the moment. Through contemplative practice and reflective exercises, we begin to see clearly where we are and identify where we want to be. We set intentions based in hope, not fear. We move away from shame toward what nourishes. Join us!”[ii]
The components of such an event can be simple and varied. Here are a few suggestions:
- Hand out tickets with uplifting or friendly messages, such as “Be Kind, Today Is Gentle Thursday”
- Include activities aimed at children, such as sidewalk chalk stations throughout the community
- Provide a gentle music event at a local park
- Hang “Gentle Thursday” balloons from stores in the community
- Encourage local businesses to donate treats, such as tickets entitling the bearer to free ice cream
As a phrase, “Gentle Thursday” sounds a bit nonsensical; that is, it defies definition. It defies being characterized while at the same time it invites speculation. It embeds a curious meaning within something that does not have one—unless or course, you think that Thursday really is that special. Very few of us are walking around saying, “TGIT,” though maybe we can get there.
The point is, Gentle Thursday is about whatever the creators say it is about. It can take on a life of its own, but it will be the life you give it.