Geez. They make this harder every time. At least when I (finally) found it last time it immediately got me here. What the heck? I know I'm an electronics jinx, but come on!

Today's rant is over and I wanted to chat about something that happened to me yesterday. I received my first rejection on my novel--and just at the query stage! No biggie, right? One down, hopefully not too many more to go. ;-D

But for some reason, even though the email only said, "not for me thanks anyway" (and no, these guys don't use punctuation or anything, it would appear), it still seems to be affecting me.

It made me think of the old 'sticks and stones'. Words DO hurt. And though I have the query out to others who aren't as quick at responding, I have walked around all day with this weird heaviness I keep recognizing and then having to attempt to do something about.

Attempt being the operative word here. ;-D

I used to have a couple friends who got really depressed--to the point you couldn't reach either of them for months. At least I'm a functioning depressive! ;-D

So, what is it about rejection, even something so small it has nothing to do with you personally, that upsets some of us so?

It's like carying around this invisible baggage. I can feel it and it's plenty big, too. Maybe, and here's a thought that comes to me this very instant, maybe I carry the bag around all the time and when something like this happens I just let it slip its way into the bag and off I go, carrying it around until the next thing. What is up with that?! Craziness.

So right now I am choosing to take a deep breath and put down the bag. I don't have to deal with what's in the bag; I just have to walk away from the bag. After all, this is probably (even though I wish otherwise) NOT the first rejection of the query or the manuscript I am going to encounter. It's time to grow the heck up and not let this kind of thing bring me down.

Know why? Because that is EXACTLY what has kept me from doing anything with my writing and everything else my whole life. Who gives a rip if Mr. Levine or Ms. Seymour or Joe Schmo don't want to represent me? Someone WILL! I just have to search until I find the person who does.

Now, how can you apply this to your life as well? I know some of you who are reading this have
never had a personal doubt about your ability. Wait? Is that true? Are there REALLY people LIKE that out there? Well, I may not know the real story about the people who came to mind when I wrote that, but for those who sometimes lose heart or self-confidence, here's today's 'take home':

We all have something to say--or do or 'be'. We just have to find the audience who wants to hear it. So keep searching until those people show up, ready and willing to take to heart the wisdom that flows from within you. I believe in every one of you, and even if, perchance, we don't agree on every little thing, know this: Your thoughts are still valuable. YOU are still valuable. Each of us is a link in the great chain of 'knowing' and 'being'. And if you choose to worship at the temple that is my heart, I welcome you. May we all find worshipers--not people who worship 'us', per se--but people who know the value of who we are and are willing to worship the 'god' within, people who know something we don't know or even have a better handle on what we think we DO know.

Thanks for listening. Oddly, I feel better now. Sharing has a way of doing that, doesn't it?

May the Divine in you and the Divine in me commune in complete joy at the Altar of our Uniqueness. ;-D

Harvester Zoe