When we are not posing for professional photos we are generally covered in yogurt and the residue of toddler tantrums. 

Recently, Seek Company asked to interview me for a series they do called “Everyday Brilliance”. I try to associate myself with the word “brilliance” whenever possible, so of course I complied. (I kid, I kid. But really.) Seek Company is business that sets out to translate the brand-to-buyer relationship into a human-to-human one. They lead ethnographic immersions and deliver multi-media storytelling. They believe that each consumer has a story to tell and they set out to get it told.

Naturally, now I want to work for them when I grow up.

And now…the interview….

Hello Meg!  We’re so glad to get to chat a bit on the topic of everyday brilliance.  We spend a fair amount of time combing the internet everyday, seeking to learn from others that have a different view on life than we do.  When we stumbled across your blog,  Meg In Progress, we knew we needed to get inside your head a bit more.

Q:  First off, tell us a bit about who you are, what you do, and why you’re part of the online community at large.

A: I believe every day has a spark of the transcendent. However, it is easy to forget all that lovely, transcendent business when I am covered in spit up and both of my kids are screaming. Writing helps me to remember.

Q:  What about the practice of writing helps you to remember that “every day has a spark of the transcendent?”

A: I truly believe there is power in moments of quiet and reflection. When I sit down to write, I am able to view my day as an observer. There are so many lessons and bright sparkling moments we miss when we are in the midst of reacting to or against them. Writing about each day forces me to acknowledge those moments must be there and sends me on a search to find them.

Q: In the midst of the mundane, what keeps you curious?  What practices do you have in place?  What tips do you have for us?

A: Oh curiosity! The cause and the cure of all my curiosity lies in reading good books and reading them often. I think the world is waiting for us –practically begging- us to discover it. My greatest discoveries (and often the greatest ones are the simplest truths) come to me on days when I have read well and taken myself outside. Go on long walks. Read good books. Rinse. Repeat.

Q: In your post entitled, The Whole Wide World, you talk about this marvelous experience of reading a book on Pompeii as a kid, and you remark, “everything had changed.”  Well, we strive to have experiences with people that change how we see brands and products.  What advice do you have for our teams as they head to the field, and need to have those “everything had changed” moments?

A: I think the most important thing to remember is that, at our core, most people are really very much the same. We want to know we have value. We want to know we have a place. We want to know who we are. Once we realize what we have in common, I think it is easier to understand and accept all the political, cultural and lifestyle differences that seem so unfamiliar.

Q:  You talk of showing the world to your little girls, in the midst of the mundane.  What helps you bring these everyday moments of brilliance to their awareness?

A: Sometimes it is as simple as pointing out the flashes of brilliance in the moments they occur. A little shout of “Oh my goodness, girls! This is special! Can you see this is special?” However, more often than not, it is them showing me. It happens daily, like when they ask me to count the stars or twirl with them in the middle of a crowded park. By participating in their natural awe, even when it makes me look ridiculous, I am validating their point of view. It is a lovely thing, teaching little girls that their wonder is absolutely valid one twirl at a time.

Q: How has being a mom helped you to see the “spark of the transcendent?”

A: Do you have a few hours? Being a mother has taken everything and frosted it in possibility. Yes, there are plenty of days when life seems constricted by laundry and dinner making yet again. But then there is the first time my youngest smiled or the day Zuzu finally learned how to write an R. I know those are simple things. But that smile, that crooked ‘R’ and every other little triumph and lesson are as close as I’ve gotten to seeing the infinite workings behind this thing we call life. Unfettered joy and the age old pursuit of higher knowledge all bottled up in a regular old Thursday? How could that not change my life for the better and the deeper?