The Element of Discovery & Hope For Oddness

Cropped Version of Apple Computer's first logo.  One of 2 Homages in This Post

What gives me hope?

The element of discovery.

The fact that at any point in time, the discovery of something new or someone new can change one’s life. Even if one is on the odd side....

Some Short Stories….

Short Story 1….

Odd Girl Gets Break

Once upon a time when teenager. Odd Girl.  Liked to read books but did not like to go to school or college. Liked words, but did not speak much. (Very Shy). Liked to read (words), study (words), play (word) games, write (words). Could not speak words that good. When out on a date, only danced. Wordlessly. Like wind-up ornament on Musical Box.  Couldn’t even say “Too bad you didn’t get The Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started A Conversation With at a Party for a date.” That tongue-tied. Odd Girl odd in other ways.  Wore shades day and night. Like Michael Jackson.  Only not a celebrity. One day Odd Girl wrote some words. Odd Girl sent these words to THE newspaper. That time, newpaper was THE newspaper, not a newspaper.  Editor said ha-ha and published. Encouraged, Odd Girl wrote again.  Editor said ha-ha. Published Odd Girl’s words again. Odd Girl’s writing spotted by Mela, friend of sister of Odd Girl. Copywriting job was available at company where Mela worked. So interview happened.  So job offer happened. Odd Girl became Odd Copywriter. Happily ever after.  Until green card.

How this a discovery story?  Simple. Mela discover Odd Girl.  Odd Girl discover advertising. Odd Girl become Copywriter.  Discovery story simple like that. Not complicated.

Short Story 2….

Odd Girl Gets Going

Odd Girl now Odd Copywriter starts writing words for shoe polish and soap. Odd Girl's words not appreciated like when Odd Girl sent words to newspaper.  In ad copy, more angles than geometry. So Odd Girl asked to write same thing again and again. Final ad : Soap of Stars, Shoe Polish of Champions. Not what Odd Girl should be paid to write. So Odd Girl gets going.  Walks. Looking for Holy Grail. Odd Girl gets going so much sometimes back to previous agency. Everywhere Soap Of Stars, Shoe Polish of Champions.  Not like newspaper days. Odd Girl gets FED UP. ‘Odd Girl FED UP’ different from ‘Odd Girl gets going’. Odd Girl FED UP means Odd Girl ready to take her own chances. Husband takes care of bills while Odd Girl tries new experiment.  Mariam, Odd Girl’s friend from her HTA (JWT) days discovers plan. Mariam speaks to Chari. Chari puts Odd Girl on a retainer at Sistas. So Odd Girl becomes Proprietor of Purple Patch. Life as before - even able to do aerobics with Kamlesh etc. Only now Proprietor of Purple Patch. Happily ever after.  Until green card.

How this a discovery story? Simple. Odd Girl discovers Mariam. Mariam discovers Odd Girl available for retainer work.  Odd Girl becomes proprietor of Purple Patch. Discovery story simple as that.

Short Story 3….

Odd Girl Gets An Idea

Green card not yet. Odd Girl turned Copywriter turned Proprietor of Purple Patch busy but not too busy. So when Odd Girl gets teaching request from Loyola College, Odd Girl says yes.  How did Odd Girl who could not speak become Odd Girl who can teach? Miracle.  Life like that. Odd Girl’s grand adventure, Purple Patch doing well. More work that Odd Girl can handle.  While teaching copywriting class at Loyola, Odd Girl gets gleam in the eye.  Like Newton.  Like Archimedes. Looks at students seated before her. Why not hire some of them to write for Purple Patch? Young people. First jobs. Still in college. Affordable. Like Fast Food companies. Of course, in fast food, sometimes not young people, not first job, instead bread earners and single mothers and it is first and last job.  Then sad.  Then fairness question.  But this story not about inconvenient truths.  This story about discovery.  So back to story. Odd girl hires 4 Loyola students as apprentice copywriters in Purple Patch. Good for students.  Good for Odd Girl. Happily ever after. Until green card.

How this discovery story? Loyola College discover Odd Girl can teach copywriting class. Odd Girl discover students to join her team. Simple. Not complicated. Discovery work like that.

Dear Reader. Hope you enjoyed this post which pays homage to, and attempts to imitate, the whiz that is George Saunders and his Semplica-Girl Diaries. George Saunders has been in the limelight recently for his commencement speech at Syracuse University. Both Semplica-Girl Diaries and the Syracuse commencement speech are well worth your time. 

P.S. If there’s something about you that's odd, but harmless - congratulations, consider yourself a certified member of the human race.  If there’s something about you that’s odd and harmful, well then, you do need to do something about it.  For starters, how about reading my posts How To Become A Low Maintenance Person or How Many Times A Day Do You Visit Ireland? If there’s nothing odd about you, lucky you - just make sure not to make the rest of us, who have an oddness or two, or several oddnesses, feel bad. Oh, and one more thing, steer clear of Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique. It is designed to unsettle even the most fortressed  ‘Stepford wifeness’  and ‘non oddness’. Me being odd already, I was perfectly safe to read it, enjoy it and agree with its premises. 

Thanks for reading and may you live a discovery filled life. Indeed, with the Internet and Google and Wikipedia, none of us have any excuse not to lead a discovery-filled life …..….. M…..a Pearl Seeker like you.