Friday, October 16, 2009

Five Words


I was given five words to jump start a post from Wendy at All in a Day's Thought. She got five from Kristen Torres-Toro, who got five from JungleMom...but I have no idea where it started before that because I lost the trail.

The gist is that I'm to build a great post around these five words. Being a therapist, my twist might be slightly different. I'm going to free associate (write down the first several words that come to mind when I think of these following words below) and then expound on one or two. So here goes:

Innovation - new, different, ground-breaking, under-appreciated (at first, maybe?)

I'd like to think that I'm innovative with my web presence and my writing, in particular. I'm doing something different with Character Therapy, and really enjoy mixing the two biggest hobbies of my life: writing and counseling.

I'm always searching for something new and different, except in the kitchen. Tried and true is great there. But I like a surprise, a cool idea, a shocking twist.

Group - group work, community, friends, clique

My first thought was not pleasant, I'm afraid. Group work was the bane of my existence in junior high and high school, mainly because I'm so OCD that I took on all the work myself just to make sure things got done right and then everyone would get MY grade. So not fair.

But then I thought about how a group can be such a positive thing, like your community of friends. Even our blogging group of writers, encouraging each other.

Movie - actors, Hollywood, theater, New Moon

Okay, I was a bit surprised at that last one. Guess I'm already looking forward to it coming out in November. But after further thought, I don't want to reflect on any of the words I free associated. I'd rather talk about the medium of motion picture, and how easy it is, with one span of the camera across a room, to capture what could be pages in a book. There are some who prefer the written word (I actually fall into this category), but it's amazing what can be done on film. Premises can be set off in just a few seconds. Narrators can make or break, much like a book. Just an interesting thought.

Expression - face, bright, personal, communicates

I've been told I have an expressive face, in particular my eyes. This is not always a good thing, especially for a therapist. I've had to really work at controlling my features, making sure I'm looking slightly down fro a client, whenever I hear something shocking or unexpected or disgusting. (And it happens, believe me.) That person isn't seeing me to get some commentary (spoken or not) from me, and my expression will do just that: communicate my thoughts. I've gotten better at it with practice. But other times, It's truly a job to be able to communicate TONS of info through an eye blink, slitting my eyes over at someone, puckered lips, what-have-you. There are people who can't do this very well. So even though its somewhat of a professional hazard, it's great to take off my therapist cap and be myself around others.

Memory - remember, fondness, bitterness, soothing

I can only think of two reasons why a person would really remember something. Either the memory was positive or negative. We don't likely remember much about what we ate for dinner unless it was really good or really bad. That makes it memorable. But a run-of-the-mill meatloaf two Sundays ago? Not so much.

Same with emotional memories, I think. Most of our daily lives get dissolved into good or bad memories, while the quaint day-to-day operations generally dissipate and we find ourselves wondering where all the years went. The answer is that the years were filled with average things that didn't warrant a bookmark in our life, so we glazed over them a bit more than we intended. But that stellar performance at work that landed a pay raise, corner office and award? Oh yeah. All over that. Playing catch with your son on a truly incandescently beautiful summer day in a beautiful field? Yeah. We'll remember. Same as when we remember our first break-up or falling from the monkey bars and breaking our arm.

I'll be happy to pass on 5 words to any one who indicates in the comment section that you'd like me to. Makes for an easy post...and you can free associate or not. :)

Q4U: Can you think back (like over a year) to some run-of-the-mill memory? Something that was neither fantastic or horrible? Just curious if people see this the way I do.

Wordle: signature

9 comments:

Kristen Torres-Toro said...

Hey, Jeannie! Thanks for the mention! I really enjoyed your five words--especially the free word association! I love doing things like that!

I hated group work too. It was the same issue. So glad I'm out of school, because group projects seemed to be my teacher's favorite things!

I agree. Emotions definitely seem to cement most (if not all) memories.

Have a great weekend!

Kelsey (Dominique) Ridge said...

Emotions tend to cement my memories, even if they're not extreme ones. I remember weird looks I got for being happy when people didn't think I should. I remember weird places I was in when I felt extremely tired and who else was there. I think emotions or feelings are the frame around which I build I memories.

Eileen Astels Watson said...

you are definitely innovative, Jeannie with your character therapy blog! And it's so educational for everyone! Thank You!

Tamika: said...

For most of my life I have let my erratic emotions be the vehicle to perception. It can be dangerous. I am learning to allow my memories and experiences shape wonderful stories!

Check out my blog on Monday when I explore my five words from Kristen.

Happy writing!

Ava Walker Jenkins said...

The five words idea is a great way for us to know you better. I really enjoyed reading this post.

I tried to do as you asked and found that every memory I paused on was either good or bad. Unless it was recently, such as the vacuuming and flower planting I did this afternoon, I have put away all run-of -the mill memories. You are so right about this. Thanks!

Keanan Brand said...

I have come to appreciate the memories, the bad with the good.

There was some debate a few years ago when news reports revealed a drug that could dampen / repress negative memories. On the surface, that sounds good -- and arguments were made that it would help victims of tragedies or attacks to recover -- but, as someone who has faced more than one personal demon, I believe the best way to heal from horror is to look it in the eye and call it by name.

There are some memories that make me cringe or grow tense, but they don't own me, and the sensation is brief. However, there are childhood memories that still make me laugh out loud.

Katie Ganshert said...

Nice! I'll be doing a five word post from Wendy on Monday. It's fun. So...you're leaving on a jet plane pretty soon!! And your b-day is fastly approaching!! Double-exciting.

Jessica Nelson said...

INteresting about memories. I agree.
Don't feel bad about the group thing either. I was the same way in school. Hated having to work with others. *grin*

Terri Tiffany said...

Great job with the words. I found myself wondering what I would write. I agree so much about facial expressions. Hard to control sometimes but necessary to do a good job!