Dana's Ruminations and Reflections

Reflection - Leaving Your Mark

I recently had one of those "am I going down the path I should be going down?" moments. I thought about my life history, my job history and history in general, and wondered what impact I could have on it.

I take pride in what I do, love my job, and feel successful. But what mark am I making on the world? I don't start up and run charities (though I donate to several), I don't always vote, and I am starting to worry that I will only be remembered by those who know me, and when they pass, what is there to remind the world that I existed?

Writing is a way to leave something behind. Writing is a way to put your thoughts, hopes, dream, history, and future on paper (or in this case, out in cyberspace). My question to myself is, do I need to be published to have felt success in my writing? Or is it enough that I have written, that my family and future generations can feel that they know me because they have read my words?

I posed the question to my father, who is not a writer, but an engineer. His writing is in numbers, in math, and in science. His mark on this world is that he has created computer systems that all of us use in everyday life.

My sister posed a question to him after taking a computer science & history course in college: "Why is it that if you invented this thing that our lives depend on so much every day are you not mentioned in any of my books?" My dad's response was that what he created has been improved upon so much, that the first one that came out isn't important. What is important is that it broke ground for what was to come.

So what is to come for all of us? If we have a script that is rewritten, is it more important to get our names in the credits or to get our ideas on the screen? Will we be forgotten, but the films or novels we write live on despite us? Will we make our mark in this world?

Everyone reading this probably is working, writing, and communicating with friends because of what my dad started. They may not know his name, but he lives on.

As long as I write, whether I'm published or not, I'm leaving my mark, and if even one person reads my words, I will have left an impression.

June 1, 2007 11:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | Add Comment

Word Ruminations - "Intricity"

Ok, so some of you may be looking at the title and saying "I don't think that word means what you think it means." Actually, it means nothing. I made it up.

I spent an hour arguing the validity of the word with a friend, who insisted that I had meant to say "intricacy." Not being one to ever admit that I am wrong, I argued my point into the ground, pulling out latin origins and usage in sentences until eventually my friend gave up to my sheer stubborness.

What did I gain out of this? A sense of pride in my argument skills, a little bit of embarassment about admitting my faults, and a new word.

As defined by Dana, "Intricity" means:

A situation where something that seems very intricate is actually quite simple.

For example:

It was intricit that he just wasn't into her, not that he had a lot of "baggage."

She was in tune with the fact that her problems reeked with intricity, though she wouldn't accept it.

So there you go, a new word. Go forth and use wisely. Does anyone have any other suggestions for use in a sentence? Hit me up!

May 21, 2007 1:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | Add Comment

Word Ruminations - "Limerence"

Rumination has led me to discover the so-much-better-than-love alternative: "the crush."

The definition of a crush is (as defined by wikipedia):

1. A violent collision or compression (such as performed by a crusher); a crash; destruction; ruin.

2. Violent pressure, as of a crowd; a crowd which produced uncomfortable pressure; as, a crush at a peception.

3. Limerence, a short-lived, intense and usually unrequited love, sexual attraction, or infatuation.

I've decided that the word "limerence" is my new favorite word. Limerence is defined as "an involuntary cognitive and emotional state in which a person feels an intense romantic desire for another person (the limerent object)."

I shall forever more refer to anything I want or desire as my limerent object.

Many times I have mistaken limerence for love, and many times love has tricked me into believing that my crush could turn into more. At this point in my ruminations, I realize as long as there's limerence, there's life. :)

May 17, 2007 4:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | Add Comment