Archive for January, 2014
People and penguins
Posted by deeryjennifer in Big Questions, penguins on January 25, 2014
I come from a family of talkers. Case in point, I called my mom and she was obviously losing her voice and after saying, I can't talk much, she then proceeded to talk! Perhaps saying my family are talkers is not tottally accurate – rather they are communicators. The ability to communicate with others is often taken for granted.
Of course we can talk to someone, of course we can write a letter (or even a blog!), of course we can draw a picture! Really, all these things are amazing…I can read a story written hundreds, even thousands, of years ago. Even if different languages are spoken, two people can still communicate with each other as anyone who has done the “where is the nearest bathroom” pantomime in a foreign country will attest!
I find people to be consistantly one of the most interesting parts of life. Stories of all forms have always fascinated me and each of us has a story that we tell in some fashion throughout the day. Take time to listen to the stories around you and I bet you will be surprised.
A friend asked me why I began this blog, what my plans for the blog were…and I realized that at the heart, I just wanted a place to tell stories. Yes, eventually there will be links to my children's books when the series is complete, but really, I just wanted a place where I could ramble for a bit every now and then.
I enjoy reading blogs and sites written by people who share snippets and insights – and if anyone enjoys reading this than so much the better.
As for a snippet of life….well, I have discovered a great pleasure….heated car seats when the weather is bitter and cold! Discovering iced over windows was disappointing, especially when I don't have an ice scrapper! But then I realized this just meant more time to sit in my cozy warm seat and listen to music through a sound system where all the speakers work at the same time! One complaint thought, my seat soon became almost too hot to handle….so I had to toggle the setting to “low”. Such a blessing when the low point of my week was being too warm while waiting for car windows to defrost. I leave you with my new greatest thing ever!
Beautiful chaos!
Posted by deeryjennifer in Work, writing on January 14, 2014
My job is never boring. I am blessed to be employed at Gallery Furniture where I work on the internet team. Every day is something new and interesting. Some days are spent writing descriptions for “extremely comfortable” sofas while others are spent verifying measurements. We have amazing contests through social media that are just sheer fun to be involved with. During the day I may help check HTML, post to twitter, (yep, I’m a professional twit!) or edit landing page and email copy.
Today I helped with product naming, posted products to our website: http://www.galleryfurniture.com, edited writing from my team, and began the copy for a youtube video voice-over by one of our designers.
Learning to embrace the chaos has allowed me to actually look forward to each day. But, all this has been possible only because I never stopped trying to find a way to incorporate words into my life. The opportunity to develop professionally into a copywriter and content strategist was not laid out for me – I had to reach out and prove my ability.
Reaching out to try is scary, and not always the obvious choice. So, I dare you to try something else and see what happens!
Which One?
Posted by deeryjennifer in Big Questions on January 8, 2014
Verb or Noun?
Watching movies, TV, even in casual conversation, our lives sometimes seem dominated by love. Who we love, who loves us, how to have more so we can be happy. Love is analyzed and pursued – with the ultimate goal always just around the corner. The focus is usually on the feelings evoked. Love as a noun, is an almost tangible thing that should be coveted and treasured, just another possession. Who we love or are loved by can be bragged about or taken for granted like other belongings that sit on a shelf until needed. We protect love, yearn for love, dream about love. Love becomes an almost physical entity, an object, a noun.
What happens if we instead consider love as a verb. Love becomes an action, something that we do. Love becomes a choice. Love the noun is easily changed by outside forces. Nouns are able to be changed, sometimes for the better, sometimes for worse. Actions are the cause of change. Love as a verb…. Love as THE verb transmutes into possibilities and joy.
Changing Love into an action gives an entirely different meaning to ” I love you.” No longer a feeling, but a decision taken with purpose. Love a movie? Your new car? Your family or signifigant other? Love the verb is more powerful than the noun. Make a decision with a reason – and Love becomes a concious, knowing action.
I want the Love in my life to be a choice. I choose Love the verb.
This is what happens when you spend too much time considering parts of speech and reading grammar books.
In the Beginning
Posted by deeryjennifer in beginning, penguins, writing on January 4, 2014
For my first official blog post, I spent some time pondering what to say. Should I be witty, serious, or just ramble on? Then I realized that the answer was obvious……
PENGUINS ARE AWESOME!
Yes, I like penguins. Anyone who knows me (and many who do not) is aware of this fact. I have more links to live penguin cams than any one person needs. Penguins have so much to teach us about life.
When you are in trouble and the temperature drops – huddle together for warmth like penguins do. Teamwork for the win!
If you find yourself becoming mired in obstacles and feeling tired – remember the penguin who waddles (yes waddles) awkwardly for miles and miles and miles in freezing temperatures to reach the ocean and eat something so they can return home and feed their chick.
Do you wonder if something is safe to do? Simply crowd the person at the edge of the cliff into the water and see if they survive! This is a great way to test for safety.
I love penguins for their perseverance, stubbornness, do or die attitude, and how they transform from bumbling land birds into svelte, graceful missiles when they enter the water.
Just like the penguins, we all have a place where we truly shine – finding your home areas in life can give you strength during those gawky times we all experience.
Stay tuned for updates on my adventures in writing, drawing ostriches, and finding yet more penguin cams.
DeeryJennifer 
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