Strata: Not 'Just Another Job'

Dear all:

I work at a place called Strata, and I think it's the greatest job in the world. Not only am I learning amazing things and getting to spend time with incredibly smart and talented people, I'm learning who I am, what I want, and I'm being presented with opportunities that I would never have dreamed of.  I wrote a blog post on Strata's website, so I've posted the link below. A lot of people have no idea what I do, so if you feel the need to explore the website a little that would be perfectly okay. You don't have to work at Strata to be exposed to all of the great things that it has to offer, and that's another great thing about it. 

I LOVE MY JOB!

Check out my blog post here

To Those We Miss

I don’t know if I will ever understand the grieving process. People die every day, and I go on living like nothing has changed. Almost everyone does. But the sad thing is that you’ll never understand how it feels to lose a loved one until you actually have.

It’s hard to internalize how losing one person can make your whole world stop. As cliché as that phrase is, there’s no better way to say it. Things just stop. It’s even harder to understand how everything and everyone can keep going when you haven’t been able to shift the subject of your thoughts to anything else for days.

  What’s most frustrating for me is that there’s no way to convey how someone who has passed has made you feel or what they have meant to you. You can show pictures and tell stories, but it’s impossible to transfer all of your life experiences and encounters with this person to someone else. There is literally not one person who can fully understand what somebody means to you. This can make you feel alone, and that’s another thing that you can’t understand unless you’ve been there.

The idea of empathy is hard for me to grasp. It’s easy to tell somebody that you’ve gone through the same thing as them when they are grieving, but nobody can ever truly mean that. Nobody can know a person the way that you do. No one has the memories that you do, and nobody can say that they’ve felt the same things as you when you’ve been with or without that person. Each person’s memory is unique and special, so I guess you can say that the one you’ve lost has had a unique and special impact on everyone that they’ve ever encountered. You can say that there are no two people who have felt the same kind of happiness or joy from this person, and that makes their memory even more special. They have found a way to individually and personally change people’s lives in completely different ways. This is not specific to one person though, it’s how all relationships are. There will never be a relationship that is exactly the same as another. That’s amazing to me. People are the same. Like snowflakes. They can be alike, but the small details are what set them apart and makes each of them so uniquely beautiful and surprising. So in a way, that relationship is unique and personal to you. Nobody can share that. Your grief is the same. It’s your own, and nobody can ever understand what your loss means.

I don’t know what I’m trying to get at here. Maybe I’m just trying to wrap my head around the idea of being completely alone in the grieving process. Or maybe I’ve stumbled upon something amazing. 

All of our experiences with a loved one may differ, and our loneliness is personal and unique, but that’s something that we all share. Our solitude is what binds us. Even more, our memories of these loved ones bind us. I find comfort in that. And although there might not be much that we can do for ourselves, there’s one thing that we can do for each other and those who have passed.

 Remember.

 Our collective feelings and memories of these people are what make their lives so meaningful. They keep them alive, and they can bring comfort to the others who have been touched by these individuals.

I don’t think there’s anything more that we can do to honor those who have passed than to share our experiences. And though the grieving process is hard, and nobody wants to deal with loss, there is one marvelous thing that can come from the loss of a loved one. Unity. The coming together of strangers to celebrate the life of one person.

And I hope that we can achieve that. It would be a shame if nothing good ever came from such heartache.

I hope that we can come together, honor these people who have passed, and celebrate their lives and the people that they were. Because they deserve it, and so do we.

Everyday Treasures

I've been thinking a lot lately about people and the everyday things they do that are really just awesome. I'm a total dweeb, but people are cool and they make me smile. Whatever! 

Here are 10 things by everyday people that put a smile on my face:

Riding a bike with no handlebars. Because really, it's impressive.

All those ladies who still rock mom jeans. 

People who dress up their cats. 

People who wear what they want and have no shame.

Seeing people sing in their cars.

Parents who let their kids be weird.

Kids who can't control their pants.

Old people who make jokes.

Random inspiring street art.

And last but not least, puppies. You know why.

Today I'm happy because life is full of things and people who are silly, crazy, honest, talented, happy, exciting, and simply beautiful. 

Actions Speak Louder

I decided that this post was going to be a little more visual. Words are great and all, but instead of telling you something that made me happy, I thought I'd show you. Actions speak louder than words, after all. Today I'm happy for 25 reasons, I won't explain every one, I just want to sum it up. Today I'm happy for where I am, who I am, and who I have. Cache Valley is beautiful, and I have the most outstanding friends. I feel spoiled and undeserving of everything that I have, but I'm not going to question it. I'm loving life and it's loving me right back, and that's all I can really ask for.

Endless Potential

Happy third blog post! Woopee!

So, these past two weeks have been absolutely wonderful, and kind of cool. I've been super active and involved with this new group of people that play soccer together. We've been playing about three times a week, and now I'm starting to go to a volleyball group and an ultimate frisbee group. Aside from being totally psyched to get out and be active, I'm even more excited about all of the people I've been meeting.

I always thought that I  knew a lot of people, but these past few weeks have really put things into perspective for me. I went to the Cruise-In a few weeks back, and the streets were packed, but I didn't see one person that I knew, other than the people I had come with. I made a new friend who used to live in the same town as me, and knows a lot of my old friends. I go to my religious meetings, for the people who live in my town I might add, and I only know probably 10 people.

How can this be?!

I've lived in Cache Valley for the last 7 years, and I'm still surrounded by strangers. Meeting all these new people has really put a smile on my face, and not just because I have a few new friends.

Today I'm happy because I have realized that every person that I've ever seen (or not seen for that matter) is just a potential friend. I know, this is cheesy, but it's kind of cool to think about. Every person that I know now started out as a stranger. I have a friend that I met about two years ago, and in that short time, he has become my best and most admired friend. And to think, we used to not know who the other was. There are handfuls of people that I've met who have personally changed my life, and I wouldn't be who I am without them. How many people have I not met? Easy, 7 billion. And how many of them will I meet, and how many of them will change my life? I love thinking about that.

There are 7 billion people on this planet, and I only know a handful, but it excites me to know that there's a friend waiting for me anywhere I go.

We Are People

So. This week really took it out of me. The place that I work (Strata) held a conference with week with selected Koch Scholars from around the U.S.. It was actually one of the coolest things ever I've ever been apart of. There were around 35 participants who came from all over the U.S., and, at first, I was really nervous to even talk to any of them. I mean, really, they're all very well read, opinionated, and very smart, and here I am.

Hi! I'm Kelli Reeder, the last book I read was Hunger Games and I love watching Gossip Girl! Let's have a nice chat about economics and politics!

No. That thought was mortifying.

I had basically memorized people's names before I met them, ya know, because I had put together so many information packets and name tags that they had all just kind of stuck in my head. I had tried to make myself scarce, and avoid any unnecessary conversations, but when one of the scholars sat by us at dinner, I really had no choice.

Her name was Candace and she was a kick in the pants to say the least. But really, she was hilarious. Afterwords, when we hosted hospitality at our office, she and I got talking a little more, and a few people she had met came and talked to us as well.

It was really interesting actually, having these conversations. I live in Logan, Utah. I'm LDS, and I've lived in Utah for most of my life. I wouldn't say that I'm a judgmental person, but living in a place where most of the people I know are LDS leads you to have certain expectations when you meet new people in the valley, but attending this conference and meeting these people has really changed that about me. I knew that they weren't from here so I knew not to assume that they had similar religious views. It was actually kind of awesome talking with someone who didn't know anything about my religion. It was awesome having deep conversations with people and not expecting them to say or not say certain things. It was awesome talking to people who don't know about me or where I'm from. There was really no difference between me and these people. I know a lot of people's first instinct would be to pick out things about a person that were different from them or didn't coincide with their personal beliefs. A year ago that's exactly what I would have done. I would have thought something like 'Hey that girl has a really short skirt on, and she's drinking a beer. I think that gross." My thoughts during this conference were more like 'Hey that girl lives in Florida, her laugh is hilarious, and she's one of the coolest people I've met'.

It's amazing to think that a year ago, or even a month ago, I was that person who made those unfair and harsh judgements on those people who are, quite frankly, outstanding. I'm grateful for what I've learned about people this last year. I hope that I can keep an open mind, and never think twice about someone's gender, race, religion, ethnicity, age,  sexuality, hair color, food preferences, or even what they wear.

Today, I am happy because I've learned how to love people. All people. I don't care if we don't believe the same things. I don't care if we're from the same place. I don't care what you look like. I'm a person, and you're a person. We are people, and I'm glad that we met. ( So sorry for all the cheese)

Happier Than the Average Bear

Good morning, all.

So listen. I'm not a blogger, nor am I visually creative, so welcome to my outrageously beautiful and insightful blog! But really. Appreciate it.  :)

Anyway, my name is Kelli Reeder. I'm 19, I live in Utah, and I attend Utah State University. I've always considered myself to be a fairly happy person. I never thought too much about that, but my sister said something the other day that got me thinking. She was describing me to somebody, and what she said made me laugh a little. She said "This is my sister, Kelli, she's happier than the average bear." I laughed at first, just because of the way she phrased her description of me, but the more I think about it, the more I wonder. Why was that the first thing she said about me? Why is it that I'm generally in a good mood? Is that the thing that most defines me? I wonder.

I then came to the conclusion that, yes, I would call myself a happy person, and yes, that is something that would define me. The remaining question is why. So here I am, feeling especially thoughtful, trying to put into words what I've learned in the last 19 years of my life.

I am happy, and I don't think that's unusual. I feel that happiness is not an emotional destination that can be reached, I think it's something much simpler than that. It can come and goes at every moment, it can be sparked or squashed by the smallest things. If you dwell on the happy moments in your life, I feel that that's enough to be able to consider yourself happy. That being said, I'm the kind of person that is quick to smile. It doesn't take much to make me laugh, smile, or even make my day. I find a penny on the ground and I'm thrilled, if you tell me a funny joke I'll laugh about it for three days, and when my pants fit the first time I try them on, I will be excited every time I wear them until I get a new pair. I think that's what works for me though. Ordinary, everyday things. I find joy in the small and unusual things that I find in my life, and that in and of itself makes me feel happy. I plan to share and reflect on these ordinary things throughout this blog. Maybe someone can find something that works for them too. Anyway, that's all for now! Have a most excellent day!