Words For Hire

Business, PR, Marketing, Social Media 586.461.2103

You are here: Home / Fierce Friday / The Breath of Change

The Breath of Change

by

Parco SempioneImage by Air Force One via Flickr

Written by Karen D. Swim

Happy Friday! Well, if you’re a returning friend (because here there are no visitors), you may have noticed a few changes here in the cafe. The new custom theme is courtesy of the brilliant Men With Pens. Any bugs, or errors are courtesy of yours truly! I am still unpacking boxes and moving things around so please bear with me while I make the place nice and comfy for you.

I am a big fan of change. I move my office and home around all the time. I find that the physical change somehow provides me with a new perspective and revitalizes my energy. However, I am aware that some changes can shake us from our comfortable positions and force us into unfamiliar patterns or routines. Rather than energizing, we may find ourselves initially drained and more than a little cranky. A new job, or a physical move immediately come to mind.

When I engage in a physical move I tend to do it fast. I hate the transition phase so clean and unpack everything immediately and put it away.  I will work until I am so exhausted I can no longer stand but I will go to bed on fresh sheets with no boxes in the house. However, once moved,  the decorating is never done. There is always something more to be planted, changed, painted, taken away, well you get the picture.  Yet, it’s not a chore but a journey that is savored with each step.

I moved the blog from blogger to WordPress and that was the “let’s roll, get it done” phase. Now, I am taking my time to savor the decorating. So, I’ve tried to clean it up so that you have a comfy experience and don’t trip over boxes, but there’s still work to be done.  I really and truly enjoy each and every one of you and hope that we can continue to entertain one another in this new space under the bamboo tree.  And hey, there’s even room for more, so feel free to invite a friend or two. 🙂

Zemanta Pixie

Comments

  1. Lillie, thank you so much! I really value your opinion!

    Hi Nadine! I am so glad, that is exactly what I wanted!

    Brett, ah it my not so secret weakness, dark and rich for the antioxidants. I could be talked into things for chocolate, chocolate soy milk, acai (I know but it tastes chocalatey), oh yea..chocolate can be trouble. 🙂

  2. Karen,

    Chocolate, eh? That must be Wonder Woman’s undocumented secret weakness…

    🙂

    You know, just looking closely at each little nuance of your blog theme, it is amazing how much detail is here and how it all seems to flow from the top of the page to the bottom. Very nice.

    -Brett

    Brett Legrees last blog post..viking fridays – the worst sickness.

  5. Friar, I would have you unpacked in nothing flat. Got chocolate? I’m all yours! LOL! Wow, I love the Dog Whisperer but I wasn’t on it. I am at the moment without a dog. 🙁 I love them and miss having one but I’ll have to move to get one. That’s cool, I’ll have to look for the show with Karen and see my Doppleganger!

    Ulla, thank you my dear friend! MWP totally rocks the house! 😉

    Allison, *grins with pride* Thank you so much, I had great designers! 🙂

    Melissa, I could gush about the Pen Men for eternity! I’m so glad you like it, hmm it could use a little poetry, what do you think? 😉
    Janice, thank you! 🙂 Doesn’t it make you want to sit and paint? Ommmm 🙂

    Daniel, I am so glad you think it fits me. This is the true magic of the Pen Men, they just seem to be able to reflect you. Ah, they’re so good at what they do! Thank you so much for the compliments *blushing* I am loving, loving the new look and all the great comments!

    I stubbed my toe last night on something I rearranged, so while it keeps things interesting sometimes it hurts! LOL!

  6. Karen, this is totally unrelated, but I swear, I saw you on the “Dog Whisperer” today.

    Cesear Milan was helping a woman called “Karen”, who looked almost exactly like your photo (except maybe her hair was frizzier).

    If this wasn’t you, then it must have been your Doppleganger!

    (By the way, did you ever have a dog called “Lady”?) 🙂

    Friars last blog post..Travels with the Bear: Where the buffalo roam (or fly).

  8. Wow, it’s absolutely beautiful. Just perfect Karen. The MwP done good 😉 I am so loving that banner! Congrats Karen, and have fun decorating… I agree — that’s a job that’s never done!

    Melissa Donovans last blog post..A Story for a Song

  12. I really like the natural green forest look…it’s so inviting. I want to sit under a tree and stay here.

    As for moving and unpacking. I’m a Master Procrastinator

    Heh. I moved to my new house 16 months ago. I’m still not completely unpacked. .

    I’m 90% done…just that there is one remaining “junk room” that needs fixing up.

    I’ll get around to it eventually…Eventually…:-)

    Friars last blog post..My Favorite Touron (*) Moments

  13. Hi Alex! Thank you so much for stopping by! Working with Men With Pens is a delightful experience, and I know that you will be thrilled with the results. I will pop over to your site too, it’s nice to meet new friends. 🙂

    Harry, muy, muy thanks! 🙂 (BIG FAT GRIN!) It looks so good that I want a personal makeover so that I am worthy of my design. 🙂 I feel like a superstar, no more ugly blog! Whoo hoo!

  15. James, that’s what I’m saying! That expertise is worthy of a post on its own and you shall have one! 🙂 I need sleep and a weekend though to properly gush about your stellar abilities. 🙂

    Joanna, permalinks, categories, tags, oh my! I think when we’re all done we should treat ourselves to a holiday…I hear Sardinia is nice. 🙂

  17. Hey Karen – Brett sent me over here via his comments today. I agree that the Men are awesome (they’ve been helping me with my new blog design – to launch next week).

    I’ll definitely be back to continue enjoying the new site (and your writing).

    Cheers,
    Alex

    Alex Fayles last blog post..The Blog is Dead! Long Live the Blog!

  18. Hiya Brad! Thanks for the kind words and suggestion! I’ve got a list going and I will add the archives to it. I really appreciate the help, i need lots of it! 🙂

  19. Brett, thanks! Aren’t the Pen Men awesome! They are so gentle and intuitive. I plan to write a post on the process very soon. I so appreciate your ongoing encouragement – CAN, WILL, BELIEVE!

    Hi Joanna! Thank you! Thanks also for the title. I was so tired last night I wasn’t sure if it was me or if it needed to be tweaked! LOL! We’ll do a little hammering and sweeping this weekend. 🙂

    Kelly, thank you so much and all credit goes to Harry and James. They are like really lovely mad scientists. I feel good here and I think good tings will follow. 🙂

    Robert, thank you so much for the feedback and the tip on the header!! Moving things around can get interesting eh? I have a few bruises from some of the changes. LOL! May I offer you a cookie to go with your tea? 🙂

  20. Karen, I’m liking the new look! Clean, attractive color combination … you’re on your way. One small suggestion – maybe put your archive on a separate page to save sidebar space?

    Mrs. Word Sell and I are the mirror opposite of Mr. & Mrs. MZM. Mrs. Word Sell is an incremantalist … she could happily spend five years unpacking. I’m more a GIT-R-DONE! kind of guy. What keeps us together is we’re both endless tweakers.

    Looking forward to your future tweaks!!

    Brad Shorrs last blog post..How I Started Blogging, or Ready, Fire, Aim

  21. Heh, the best compliment was the “Karen, it’s so YOU!” That makes us feel really good. We tossed a few designs in the trash before hitting on one we thought fit her best.

    I noticed the banner issue as well. Snippet of coding. If the lovely Karen could give us access to the back end of WP, we’ll fix that up immediately.

  22. Howdy, Karen; nice place you have here! I feel like taking a deep, relaxing breath and pulling up a chair – hope you don’t mind a visitor? I almost feel like saying, as Cpt. Picard always did in his Ready Room on the Enterprise: “Tea. Earl Gray. Hot.”

    I’m with Joanna on the title, though. It is a bit hard to read (to me, anyway.) Otherwise, I think you’ve got a winner!

    Your description of moving matches ours, too. Mrs. MZM is always on the warpath to get the boxes out on that first day. After that, it’s the major items, to be followed (pretty much, well, forever) by the inevitable decorating tweaks.

    In fact, we often move our stuff around, too, just to keep things interesting.

    You’ve done a truly great job (along with MWP of course!) and I look forward to great things ahead, Karen!

    Cheers!
    Robert

  23. Karen,

    What lovely changes. It seems so YOU.

    Wishing you much blog growth in your new digs. Congratulations!

    Regards,

    Kelly

  24. It’s beautiful Karen! I love the essence theme, a great way to combine business sites with a blog, and the customisation here is wonderful, very soothing.

    One small thing, it’s a little hard to read ‘insights and inspiration’ the top – a bit blocked by Words for Hire – maybe the MWP can tweak it a wee bit?

    I love the bamboo. Gorgeous.

    Will be back soon!

    Joanna

    Joanna Youngs last blog post..8 Ways To Free Your Words

  25. Wonder Woman – wow! What a theme! This is just perfect for what you do here.

    This place will serve you well as you press on to even greater success!

    Can and will – and believe!

    -Brett

    Brett Legrees last blog post..dog food.