As long as I can remember, I’ve been a writer. Words are important to me. And stories. The words that we, you, and I use matter. Words carry meaning. I usually choose mine carefully, especially when writing. So, the tagline for my website and my work—Storytelling for the Earth and Her People—holds a special significance to me.
Reflecting on my college days, when I first began, I thought I would major in English. For a short while, I declared journalism to be it. However, after my first geology class, I was hooked on learning more about earth science. It was a topic about which I had a lot to learn. So, I followed that path instead.
Geology drew me in because of the stories inherent in the science, like:
- understanding layers of rocks and piecing together the history of that time and place, or
- comparing geological time to a 24-hour clock (humans only appear about 1 second before midnight!).
When I became a geologist, I still carried the love of storytelling into the roles I’ve played in my professional life. As a professor, I was thoughtful about my lectures and assignments, figuring out ways for students to relate to the materials. Working at a national nonprofit, I spent eight years writing about the Earth and the work that people do for her. I also facilitated meetings using the Circle Way method. Like any good story, there is intention and detail put into the beginning, middle, and end of whatever I’m creating—a blog, a resource, or a meeting.
When it comes down to it, I’ve created a life in which I get to integrate my passion for writing and being creative with my love of the Earth and understanding that we, as people, are a part of her environments.
And this is why the tagline is significant to me. It not only illustrates what I do (Storytelling) but also gets at why I do it (Earth and Her People). It’s from here that all of my work stems. The why is in the center.
Enjoy this new diagram I created to illustrate the Why, How, and Why of reneemazurek.com. Thanks for being here! 💚Renée
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