“I was grocery shopping one afternoon and made a bee line for the shortest line. The couple ahead of me had a full to overflowing carriage and a screaming, red-faced 2 year old, clearly in need of a nap, which her mother kept calmly repeating, each utterance met with another wail from the child. I hate screaming like that, but I remembered that I had put a couple of free passes in my pocket before i went into the store. Instead of suffering in silence along with the family, I approached the mother and asked her if she needed a free pass, and handed her one. She smiled, said yes and expressed interest in the project…I gave another to Dad. As I was packing my groceries into my car, I happened to look over my shoulder to see Dad pushing the carriage of groceries, and Mom carrying her giggling daughter. Made MY day!” Cranston, RI … [Read more...]
Co worker….
“Last Friday I got angry at a coworker in accounting who declined twice to be helpful to me in my hour of personal need. She refused to verify my employment at the office or to reprint lost pay stubs for me when asked. I find my frustration stems from being powerless and having to ask for help in the first place from someone who is known to be bitchy and uncooperative. My frustrations fester, and it becomes difficult to let go of them. I wish I would handle myself better and not lose sleep over petty problems that arise, even when they affect my personal finances. I think I would like a free pass both to reserve the right to be justifiably angry at this colleague for jeopardizing my livelihood as well as to be forgiven when I am.” Priscilla, Cape Cod. … [Read more...]
Conference photo…
"Thoughts?" Boston, MA … [Read more...]
For my Mom…
"My mom was out of town all weekend. A few hours before I knew she was due home tonight, I snuck into her house and set up this little Mother's Day display. Two Free Passes! Dear Mom, you are totally off the hook for some unintentional childhood trauma, like my irrational fear of centipedes. Love you lots, Gooselet (That's not what the card said, but it should have...)" Martha's Vineyard, MA … [Read more...]
Random token found…
“Just found a random Free Pass in Central Square, Cambridge MA. Glanced briefly and almost walked by. . . then I realized it was just what I needed and so do many!” Cambridge, MA … [Read more...]
Made my own project…
"I mentioned that I wanted to share them with my two sons and my niece, each of whom was joined by their significant others at our family Christmas and all of whom are setting in to new lives and new cities. I hoped the tokens would offer a fun way to do that.I created a scavenger hunt and sent emails to two "teams", with clues that included pop references as well as some inside family jokes and that sent them to outdoor sheds, attics, freezers, recycling bins, etc. I wouldn't give them a direct answer when they asked if it was a competition but the truth was they needed to combine their clues to find the final package....I am happy to report they figured that out.My father was really taken with the whole project - it's just the kind of thing that he loves, so I gave him some tokens as well. All together, tokens are now in Providence; Vienna, VA (outside DC); Berkeley and Cupertino, CA; and Haddam, CT. I've attached a picture of some of the "teams" as they read about The Free Pass Project and one of my dad with his proud quarry. Below is one of the teams' clues... There once was a fine hunt scavenger, With hints divided 'tween him and her. Ah, with goodies at stake, All winners will partake, And their version of stories confer." … [Read more...]
Free pass token jar…#765
“Token found at 3 Sisters cafe watching the general public eat ice cream. After checking out every flavor combination of ice cream there is, I saw the token jar resting by the door. Curious, I took one as an ‘opportunity’ to pass onto someone else. I look at it as a “free ticket” to well, free yourself, and be as expressive as you can be at that moment. I plan on using the token for just that reason for someone who may be in a moment where they feel constrained by whatever rules they abide by. My plan is to carry it at all times and use it when the moment is right. I will know when that moment is upon me.” Joe, Providence, RI … [Read more...]
My photo project…
I'm really loving the project. I'm looking for photo ops of things that can be interpreted as needing a free pass, so maybe folks will see the photos and go" I needed a free pass for that today as well. Today was "you know what, it's okay not to make your bed every morning." But after I took the pic I thought there's lots of reasons to have rumpled sheets that you might need a pass on. Sickness, depression, nightmares, a one night stand etc. Providence, RI … [Read more...]
Free pass wishes…token # 947
A couple of guys that come into my bar for wings and beers, Ryan and Louis, passed the coin along to me, and within minutes, I won $40,000 on a scratch-off lottery ticket. (That last part may be made up for the purpose of making my story more interesting) I have carried the coin in my pocket for the past week, waiting for the opportunity to pass it along to the right person. Lastly, I will leave a favorite quote of mine here- “Enter action with boldness” Justin … [Read more...]
Free pass for women…
"I know I'm going to need more tokens, since I know a lot of people who need them. They are mostly women, who struggle to do their best, are hard on themselves, and are not getting any gratitude, appreciation or validation of their courageous efforts!" San Jose, CA … [Read more...]