Peeling away the darkness

I am being employed to write a marketing blurb on a very unusual product. I can't divulge any details, but the very thought of the product makes me giggle. My employer has given me free rein, "Have fun with it. Make it funny." I spoke with the CEO and his marketing director (his wife) for quite some time to understand their vision of the promotional blurb. They are very unique people and almost fell upon their product by accident. A friend saw a picture of it on Facebook, asked for an enormous quantity of it, and soon they were getting offers from major retailers who wanted to carry their product. I was so happy they had spotted my writing, and wanted me to do their blurb. This was American entrepreneurialism and creativity at its finest. This is a small business on the cusp of greatness. And they are doing it despite the shackles the current economy is hoisting on producers.

So I sat down with pen and paper, ok, really computer and keyboard, and began typing the blurb. I had two paragraphs to try to say everything they wanted me to say. I had a rough outline, which I read to my husband. He quickly suggested a storyline based on my thoughts that had me laughing so hard I could barely breathe. Soon, Asherel was giggling, and Arvo was laughing. It is amazing how infectious heart felt laughter is. This is going to be fun. I wonder how they will market test the blurb- will they have some sort of laugh meter to gauge its effectiveness?

Sometimes I think that is what is needed to chase away the gloom- a heartfelt belly aching laugh. So much of life is filled with angst. I think this company has just the right marketing idea: make 'em laugh!
"Just write something," said the marketing director, "That they will read while standing in line at the cashier that will make them smile. That's what we want."
I can envision it now- whole lines of weary people standing like cattle being led to the slaughter, flipping over the package and reading the blurb, and then dissolving one by one into a human mass of laughter.

I read an excellent Facebook post yesterday that said if we summarized the message of the Gospel into one word, it would be love. That is its essence, I thought, and I agreed. It is so hard to enter a world of darkness and gloom, and love the inhabitants in such a way that they feel the blackness recede. Sometimes our hate of the darkness slams away the lost inhabitants as well. Maybe a tool that is used too little is laughter, laughter in delight of the impossible, impenetrable, impressive array of abundant life so often right on the cusp of our awareness but for that shroud that separates darkness from light.

Psalm 126:2-3 (NIV)
Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” [3] The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.







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