Dopp Juice Archive

It’s hard to hit on really-clever and make-people-look-twice these days when we’re supersaturated in professional marketing messages all day long. So when you do, you need to pass it around. Check out this blog: http://www.ssahn.com/Scroll around, click through archived months, and look at the many, many people making the same face at you. It’s kind of creepy, and most definitely powerful. How did I find it?The artist behind the site took my friend Annie‘s pic on Halloween, and put it on the site here. Annie’s in Korea right now teaching English and turning heads as a celebrity American journalist (I think every American is a celebrity in Asia). Sounds like she’s having fun…We studied Chinese together three years ago. As far as I know, that’s the only language she’s learned, so I’m not sure what she’s doing in Korea… but I think I may need to go visit her soon. Edit: Did I mention Seth Godin is cool? I sent this along to him, and he blogged it too.

Yeah, I know. I’ve gone from posting once a day to posting once a week. That’s quite a shift. I think this whole ‘life transition’ thing is impacting my ability to be a public voice. To some extent, I’m in the process right now of trying to figure out what I want my voice to be. Something sparked my sense of direction in life today, though. A new friend came to me with a great idea for a website, which would make use of her skills in a fulfilling way and contribute to a larger group of people. She’d been mulling over the idea for the past two months, and hadn’t acted on it. As soon as she mentioned it to me, though, I jumped on it, and started spouting ideas and advice for how to get it off the ground. Granted, I don’t have time right now to pour much of my own sweat equity into her dream, but it’s invigorating to be able to help in the ways that I can. This is the fourth time someone has come to me for help with a great new creative idea in the past few months. People trust me to be supportive, and they know I can find the resources they need to push forward. I love it! I am a project person. I am an optimistic idealist who believes anything can happen, and has proven that numerous times. I love the beginnings of projects–when they have endless potential and crave nurture and dreams. I love the sense of accomplishment that comes from building something that can thrive without me. And more than anything, I love helping people achieve dreams that the “real world” tends to crush. I’m a creator, I’m a consultant, I’m an advisor, and I’m a teacher. Can I make a steady career out of this? I sure hope so…

About 6 years ago, I discovered The Missing Peace, which is sung by Judy Malloy and written by Ron Melrose. It’s a 2-CD, one-woman musical with many voices, all of which belong to Judy.

This album pulled me through some stressful times when I originally discovered it, but then I put it aside for several years. Since I’ve been going through more difficult transitions lately, though, I pulled it out again today and gave it a listen. Rediscovering this CD is like remembering what the world looks like from the top of a mountain — it’s breathtaking and indescribable. The most I can do is tell you how to get there.

A poet I once knew always said you must ask two questions about any work of art or literature: “What is it about? And what is it about?”

The story is a folk tale set on an unnamed Celtic island, and it narrates heroic journey of a young, timid woman setting out to find her mother. On many levels, this story is about the feminine face of God. It’s also about discovery, growth, facing fears, and moving forward in life. It’s truly a spiritual album without choosing a religious path. And it’s about the strength of a woman in a man’s world, so that makes it even better.

The holidays are coming up, so I recommend you add this to either your wishlist or your shopping list. Any woman (or man, really) going through substantial life changes who needs a serious push toward inspiration and comfort will genuinely benefit from this album.

Check it out: Judy Malloy – The Missing Peace