Jen Jeffrey Billington
Living my life for the past decade with the mentality of “why not?” when making positive choices has proven very opportunistic for me.
When I moved off to New York I had no idea what ‘can of worms’ I would open. I am not even sure why the originator of that phrase came up with it, but I am sure opening a can of worms was a negative thing and they weren’t going fishing that day.
I hate worms.
I have tried to hold one in my hand to get over this fear of grossosity (and yes, this word is in the Jen-glish dictionary) but I just cannot do it. My reflexes catapult the poor worm as far away from me each time I try.
Looking back on the day I decided to change my career to (my dream of) writing and just ‘going for it’ even if I was unsure about trying, I do not see it as ‘opening a can of worms’ but when you try something that is on the far spectrum of what you are actually surrounded by, you tend to think of this phrase before you begin almost as if it is your warning to proceed with caution.
Making the decision to walk away from the medical field and take the plunge into my dreams and passions has been the best thing I have ever done. And, if this is considered my ‘can of worms’ then I guess I like worms in that sense.
I hadn’t even thought of the phrase again until this week when my brother in-law and I were working on a major project and he laughed saying, “Oh Jen, you have no idea the can of worms you have just opened…”
I understood how he meant it though. He is not a ‘doomsday’ naysayer-type-of-person - he always, always encourages.
He was probably realizing that we had stumbled onto something pretty great in which has vast potential. And I’m sure he was thinking as I play with these worms – I will be knocking at his cyber door often since he is my ‘go-to-guy in this new endeavor.
After writing for the Chattanoogan.com online news publication for the last few years, I am faced once again with the excitement of ‘why not?’.
I have always admired John Wilson’s pioneering effort of starting one of the first online news medias in Chattanooga and the way he has kept it free to his readers, the integrity he instills behind it, and how he has numbers of readers who love his trusted publication.
It was with heart-felt pride that I wrote for him and no other news source. After moving to Murray, my weekly writing faded out and I lost that ‘pulse’ of being in the community of Chattanooga, and of writing about the people in Chattanooga, but I tried to find a way to still write on this platform that would make it interesting for readers.
The only thing I felt I might have had was a following of a few readers who had enjoyed my journey in New York, my journey of growing as life-changes took me through painful and joyous times and many other journeys I was fortunate to write about.
I thought after my husband and I bought a ranch that “The Jolly Rancher” series would perhaps keep my following, but I was so busy at the ranch completing major projects that I never had time to write and I think I lost my regular following.
Even so, I love sending John an occasional article about ‘anything’ and I hope to identify in some way with those who read them, but I knew my creative juices needed to take me to a platform where I could give my 100% again and I really have Murray roots calling me to do this right here in my birthplace.
I didn’t think-it-to-death when I wanted to try my hand at what John Wilson does (though not as in depth) I just sort of asked once again ‘why not?’ and began moving forward.
Not half-cocked either – this is something I have thought about for years but never thought ‘I could’. Then one day, I decided to take the risk.
And, if I didn’t plan to start my own publication with the idea of making money, I knew I could possibly pull off starting something in which I incorporated my own creativity and falling back on the many things I had learned from people at the Chattanoogan.com.
Integrity, positive content and ’for the community’. This was my podium.
I did not want to do hard news so I didn’t make it a ‘newspaper’ and I call it a ‘magazine’ publication instead.
“The Murray Mirror” online magazine made its debut on October 10, 2016 just before midnight.
In one month, I had gathered over 30 people for our team to be writers and contributors, set up a project with a web designer and while he was busy getting the site ready, I was busy corresponding with my team and editing copy.
Jim Fielden is my brother in-law and he is the owner of iwi Web Solutions (http://www.iwiwebsolutions.com/) and he not only is my web designer – he is my cheer coach.
Jim has Italian blood and is passionate in just about everything he does. Helping me achieve my dreams was no different. He showed me what all I could do and, of course, I felt overwhelmed at first but that is when his patient coaching came into play. He educated me on the new website as he helped me build TMM.
For about the last two weeks, I had been working with my team and organizing my project staying up into the wee hours of the morning yet still getting up to perform my regularly scheduled duties as wife, pet feeder, husband feeder, husband-kiss-goodbyer… and whatever else.
It was a lot of hard work in which my eyes and my brain wanted to stay away from the computer so much, but this was a critical time and I could not. And then as Jim opened up the website to ‘let me on’ he made sure I could navigate enough to add copy without deleting or messing things up on his end before giving me full access to play around on my site. I liked his approach because I am very novice in navigating websites.
As he and I worked together and he taught me how to do things, our hours did not match – he was a night owl and I was an early bird, so I continued staying up late and getting up early.
When we were closer to going live with the magazine, I told him it was like ‘birthing a baby!”
I was as nervous and excited as an expectant mother.
After going live late on Monday evening, I breathed a sigh of relief. “Now I am going to sleep!” I thought.
But, I thought wrong.
Forgetting what becoming a new mother is like… it isn’t just about the birth. You do not sleep after the baby is born. That morning I woke up to more of the same work, except now I was opened up to the world.
Exciting yes, but I felt the muscles in my neck tense up just as they use to when I wrote the harder assignments I used to write for John. I was very aware that people were going to judge me and I hoped it would be good.
The nice thing is, most everyone in the ‘friendliest town in America” (coined by Rand McNally) really IS friendly and have been so supportive.
I saw the interests from folks when I talked about creating the magazine and this project has been very welcomed by the community.
After realizing, I didn’t have certain selections checked for one of the articles to show up, or that we needed a ‘subscribe set-up’ and other pressing things people mentioned; I told Jim, “I thought after having the baby I could rest!” And he laughed and reminded me, “You do remember what having a baby is like, don’t you?”
And that was when he laughed with a somewhat nervous laugh telling me I had opened a can of worms.
He sounded delighted for me but at the same time I could visualize him slapping his hand on his forehead possibly realizing that he too, opened a can of worms by becoming my ‘go-to-guy’ in the first place.
I pledge to do my best to look up simple information that I don’t have to bother him for, but he has been so good to walk me through all of this and I know he is there for me when I need his help.
The Murray Mirror IS needed for our community and I am so pleased that I am able to bring this to them.
I probably have only begun to see what the people at the Chattanoogan.com deal with each day, and I have even more respect for my friend Jenny Gienapp who edits and each person’s role and for all of what John Wilson does.
He is my mentor and so it was wonderful to have a section in my magazine called ‘Mentoring’ in which my mother in-law Peggy VLOGs about mentors in Murray.
I still hate worms. But as long as they fling out of the can and into the places they belong, I guess I don’t mind sharing the same earth.
jen@themurraymirror.com