Elizabeth’s Swing

Photo by Cathy Monetti

Last week was an incredible week. I worked on location in charming Beaufort, SC. Blissful sun. Riverside dining. Stunning lowcountry locations. A fantastic Emulsion Arts crew. As much fun as I had, it was nice to come home on Friday.

My friend Cathy was kind enough to drive us down so when we got back to Lexington Friday afternoon, I was itching to hop in my car and head home to Forest Acres. And then Cathy asked me if I wanted to go see Elizabeth.

You probably don’t know this but Elizabeth is a tree. I read about Elizabeth on Cathy’s blog months ago. I was aching to meet Elizabeth. Mostly for her swing that inspired one of my favorite sentences ever.

Photo by Cathy MonettiSo off we went. Home would have to wait just a little while longer.

We moseyed across the neighbors’ yard, home of Elizabeth’s human friends, said hello to the dogs and there she was. She was just as beautiful as Cathy said. So singularly tall and graceful with thick strong roots. And there was that swing. Flat and wide with thick brown braided ropes that reached far up into the leaves.

You can’t look at a swing like that without trying it out. Well, you could just look at it but why on Earth would you? I hopped on and Cathy started to push.

Once I got going it was pure joy. No playground swing can ever compete with the long, graceful glide of that swing. It’s an entirely different level of lightness.

Contented and quiet, I swung under Elizabeth for a few more minutes, then dragged my heels to slow down. When I finally came to a stop, I sat there for a few minutes and savored the swing of that incredible swing. When I finally made my way to the car, the swing of that swing stayed with me. I was especially thankful for the inner peace Elizabeth gave because I was now tired, ready to be home and stuck in Friday afternoon downtown Lexington traffic.

Of Elizabeth, Cathy said, “The swing of that swing, it goes on forever.” She was so right. The most precious thing to me is that while the ride itself was delightful, what really sticks with you is the freedom of the slow, steady glide. It’s pure, smooth and so long you can feel it hours, days and, I bet, years after you come to a stop.

What a tremendous gift for anyone who has the privilege of meeting the tree named Elizabeth.

It’s Fair Haiku Season

A few years ago — okay, it’s been way longer than that — some coworkers and I started composing fair haikus to pay homage to the delights of the South Carolina State Fair. Now you can, too. Writing a haiku is a snap. Three lines. First line five syllables. Second line seven syllables. Third line five syllables.

Go!


Blogging for others.

You can’t really tell by looking at my own blog, but there’s been a lot of guest blogging on The Internets these past few weeks.

Much of the action centered around my involvement with CreateAthon, the marathon pro-bono effort launched by Riggs Partners. Our friends at Emulsion Arts created an incredible video that captured the day and night which you can enjoy and share here. CreateAthon is an amazing, fulfilling annual experience I am so proud to be a part of. It’s one day of my life that richly rewards the other 364 days. If you’d like to start a CreateAthon in your area, you can get started here.

Another guest blog post for Talk About Giving started a littler closer to home. My husband and I were struggling with our sons’ upcoming birthdays. How could we channel the much appreciated, generous gifts into a truly useful gift for a child-focused organization? It turned out to be easier than we thought and was a great learning experience for all of us. You can learn about our experience here.Collected on behalf of Palmetto Health's Children's Hospital

Thanks for reading and staying in touch!

Ready to go again.

I have been up now for I don’t even know how long. It feels like 100 hours. It feels like two hours. CreateAthon is drawing to a close for another year. This year a record number of volunteers did a record amount of work. It feels like we did so much but had so many more ideas that could have come to light if we’d only had just a little more time.

I have no big takeaway from the past day. Just that I cannot wait to do it all over again next year.

CreateAthon 2011

Today I am in the WECO with 33 other creative professionals who are all working on behalf of CreateAthon, the marathon pro-bono effort created by Riggs Partners 14 years ago. What’s more, there are national partners scattered all across the US who are doing exactly what we are doing in their own communities.

Creative team at work at Riggs Partners CreateAthon

I am struck by the tasks that lie waiting and the sheer volume of work and ideation that will be come to life today. Even us seasoned volunteers will admit to being afraid. But there’s no time for fear. We face a long day and night.

It’s not so much that there’s work to be done, there’s so much good to be done.

I am lucky to be a part of this. Please follow along on our adventure on Facebook, Twitter and on the CreateAthon blog.

The Terrapins won twice.

Pretty sure I have the first ever college football tag on the Riggs Partners R Blog today. Talking about the one-two punch of the weekend. Maryland beating up on the ‘Canes and then setting the college football world on fire with their spiffy new uniforms. Read all about it, here!

“Handwrite” for more meaningful digital interactions.

When I came back from SocialCrush I had a letter on my desk from Lisa Gergely of Emulsion Arts. The address on the envelope was handwritten and inside was a handwritten note card thanking me for having lunch with her last week. It’s a tangible reminder of a company I enjoy working with. It punctuates the fact that they are talented people who care about their craft and their customers.

It’s ironic that I have just come back from a fantastic, two-day onslaught of social media training and education only to blog about a handwritten letter. But this is what all that social hub-bub is all about. Relationships and meaningful interaction.

Many scoff at social media saying it’s a way to avoid contact and conversation. And they will continue to say just that. My mindset is different. For me, social media is another door to get to know more people and gain exposure to new information and ideas. While at SocialCrush I met people I already “knew” on Twitter: @colacitygirl, @techherding, @egw74, @ryalcurtis, @nicolebcurtis, @RickCaffeinated, @willimac and others. I had many face-to-face conversations that were made possible by Twitter.

Nurturing personal relationships with customers, clients and co-workers is far better for business than starting a Facebook page or a blog. Trust, attention to detail and simple interactions like this letter are the ultimate plug-ins.

Be sure they are part of your business strategy.