Humanity

Weebles Wobble…

/ Jaye Elise / 2 Comments

Weebles wobble, but they don’t fall down.

Weeble

Ahhh, Weebles. These little toys predate yours truly, but their signature catchphrase has been running through my mind for the past month or so. For those of you who have even a cursory knowledge of my blogging style, you know how difficult it is for me to share any details about myself.* The good Midwestern girl in me is reticent to open up, to bare myself, to surrender to self-indulgent emotionalism. It goes against the grain of everything I’ve always known. But Christ on a cracker. Sometimes the reed must bend lest it break…and baby, this reed is going full-on yoga instructor in a wind tunnel! So perhaps it’s a good time to crack open the door again and let you all have a little peek.

In so many ways, and even though we’re only a few months in, 2018 has been the most challenging year of my life. And the blows keep raining down, sending me reeling off-kilter and making me feel like a stranger in my own skin. Personally, professionally, creatively…nothing feels safe or off-limits anymore.

It’s unsettling at best.

That being said, I may very well be wobbling, but I won’t fall down. For every challenge and obstacle I’ve come across this year, I can also look to the wonderful new friends I’ve made, to the moments of laughter and joy I experience each and every day, and to the slivers of peace I can carve out of even the most mundane goings-on.

So, to all of you out there who’ve helped to keep this wobbling Weeble from falling down, thanks for the support, the friendship, and the happiness. When the worst is over, I’m confident I’ll be a better woman for all of this. And for all those who’ve graciously filled my cup (and even those who haven’t), when the time comes, there’s a serious ray of sunshine headed your way, so gird your loins and prepare to get wobbled yourself!

* Of course, this begs the question why I choose to blog in the first place, but that’s a story for another time, folks! 😉

The Most Seattle-esque Day in the History of Ever, or Why Jaye Can’t Stop Crying

/ Jaye Elise / 12 Comments
Albert_Bierstadt_-_Puget_Sound_on_the_Pacific_Coast_(1870)

Puget Sound on the Pacific Coast, 1870 (Albert Bierstadt)

Hi all,

Well, for those of you who are unaccustomed to me sharing anything of consequence on this blog, hold on to your knickers, because yours truly had an awful day—the first I’ve had in as long as I can remember. Things are kind of topsy-turvy on the homefront right now, and I’m having a hard time grappling with it. But now, thanks to some encouragement from a new friend, I’d like to tell you a little more about it. **Warning** This tale involves plenty of tears, a bit of heartache, and more caffeine than I care to admit.

But wait! Before you write this off as a “woe is Jaye” tale and skip over to read some scintillating smut, would it sweeten the deal if I promised you a little smile at the end? C’mon…throw me a bone here! I’m trying to share, dammit! 😉

So, looking at the title for this post, when you think of “Seattle” what images come to mind? The Space Needle? Grunge? Starbucks? Amazon? Grey’s Anatomy? Well, whatever you think of, I can pretty much guarantee you’re thinking of it cast against a gray, gloomy background. Because Seattle, for a solid eight months every year, is a cloudy, wet, rainy place.

Now, picture for me—if you will—the Seattle day I had…and imagine me crying throughout:

  • 5:30am – Walking the dog in the dark. And crying.
  • 6:30am – Checking my social media accounts. And crying.
  • 7:00am – Showering. And crying.
  • 7:30am – Walking to the bus stop in the rain. And crying.
  • 7:45am – Catching the bus, finding a seat (awesome!), listening to some Chris Cornell (Seattle boy, RIP). Still crying.
  • 8:30am – Jumping off the bus downtown and heading toward work in the rain. And crying.
  • 8:45am – Taking a detour to Starbucks (est. Seattle 1971). Crying while surrounded by homeless people.
  • 9:15am – Showing up late to work, hiding in bathroom. Can’t stop crying.
  • 9:30am – Leaving work because I’m essentially useless. Walking down street while crying.
  • 10:00am – Going to Seattle Art Museum to surround myself with pretty things. Not crying quite so much.
  • 12:00pm – Joining my husband for lunch at Nordstrom (Seattle-based department store), realizing that nothing is quite as bad as it seems, drinking coffee #2. Crying stops and a few laughs ensue.
  • 1:30pm – Indulging in some retail therapy, drinking coffee #3. The crying tries to resurface, but I manage to keep it together.
  • 2:00pm – Falling asleep at a coffee shop, embarrassing the living shit out of myself by drooling onto my shoulder. No crying though!
  • 3:30pm – Heading home. The crying hath ceased.

Just as today’s gloom gave way to some gorgeous sunbeams, some rays of hope, happiness, and laughter broke through my sadness and despair. Because even as rough as the most Seattle-esque day can be, there’s nothing that can keep me down for long. And though I’m going through a bit of a rough patch right now (and though a *few* more tears may fall), it’s kind of fun to remind myself that I, too, am human…

…and that there might be a few of you out there who could benefit from a glimpse at that humanity.

The Personal Touch, or Maintaining Humanity in the Twitterverse

/ Jaye Elise / Leave a comment

AnchoredWhile I am anything but a Twitter expert, as I’ve begun my journey as a published author, I’ve learned to embrace and even enjoy the 140-character-based social media platform. It’s fun to see which pics get retweeted most often, which hashtags seem to provoke responses, and which followers pick up on the subtle (and not so subtle!) nuances in my tweets.

However (and yes, I’m decidedly old-school when it comes to communication), it’s somewhat disheartening to see an increasing level of follower auto-response services within Twitter. For example, I’ll follow someone’s feed and immediately receive an automated “thank you” response along with an offer to subscribe to the same service that generated the “thank you”. Now, please don’t misunderstand me, we all like to be acknowledged and thanked, but somehow being thanked and upsold by a bot just isn’t the same, is it? I think I’d just as soon not get the message in the first place.

Now, of course, comes the time to toot my own horn. From the beginning, I’ve made it a point to thank each of my Twitter followers via direct message, when possible – although if I’ve missed you, I apologize! It take a few seconds, but it makes a big difference. I’ve had a number of people respond with their own messages of thanks, follow-up comments and questions, or even a quick emoji. I’ve “met” people from all over the world and have had the opportunity to discuss books with them. I’ve even had some folks ask me which service I use to generate my responses, to which I invariably respond, “I don’t have a program. It’s all about the personal touch!” It makes the experience more rewarding and humanizing for everyone involved, and I’m always astounded at the impact a quick, genuine “thank you” can have on someone’s day.

I’m not saying that Twitter management tools are inherently bad, but I firmly believe that the best results stem from a careful balance between professional platform development and the personal touch. Just a little dose of the latter has the potential to go a long way, and, curmudgeonly though I may sound, I think the twitterati out there would be well served to keep this in mind.