"From there to here, from here to there,
funny things are everywhere."
(One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish)
Before gathering the courage to share my news with my ever hopeful and supportive home team, I silently read and reread the letter a few times, carefully refolded it and placed it in it's tattered envelope for safe keeping.
No,
not a glutton for punishment or anything near that, but...
wanted to keep the letter as a reminder,
a token of months of effort
and
lifetime of dreams dared to dream.
Finally, after rehearsing what to say in my head and making myself be ready, on Monday, March 2, I sat at our family dinner table and shared that I had received my very first official rejection letter from the children's publisher to which I had submitted my two hundred and something paged, young adults manuscript, '360, Yours Truly', three months earlier.
When I finally managed to utter the words conveying my heartbreaking defeat, my wonderful son, Mike, reminded me that I had been rejected on none other than the Birthday of Dr. Seuss.
Let me tell you_ with complete transparency, that tiny piece of trivia carried with it a huge amount of priceless encouragement for this 'wanna be published' writer.
In a moment, you'll likely agree as to how valuable Mike's words had been.
Now, ... a quick word about the decision mentioned a minute ago regarding keeping that unfortunate tear stained letter. Maybe you're wondering...
Why keep something that screams
a big fat 'No'
to your dreams?
Well, ... it seems that rejection
has come to many before me
who have not only survived,
but conquered.
Like, say...
Dr. Seuss.
That got me to thinking...
Did you know that it is said that Dr. Seuss was
rejected by publishers
over 100 times?
One hundred times!!!
That got me to thinking a bit more... in the past...
I've possibly handled rejection in a somewhat unhealthy way.
I know, ...right?
I'm sure that you can hardly believe that of me...
I mean, after all, aren't I known to be an...
incredibly strong,
flexible and
resilient creature?
(Hey, I got one little rejection letter - I can still dream, can't I?)
Even so, I must confess that it's true. In the past, rejection defeated me. The sad part is that
it didn't have to, but, ... I allowed it!
(Now, do you see
how terribly large
those well meaning though misguided
'buts' can be?)
There... it's out!
Yes,
it's sad but true.
In the past, ... rejection ... defeated ... me.
For example, did you know that I am a teacher, songwriter, vocalist, visual artist and aspiring children's author? Really, I am. (Until recently, it may have been difficult to notice.)
Really, though.
Accepted, approved, received or not,
I am, or so I believe that I am!
Except, of course, when
I'm allowing myself to wallow
in the sea of self doubt
that so often accompanies,
... rejection.
Here's a little tidbit of reality that I've often tried to ignore...
Creativity is
filled with situations
that pose the
practically inevitable possibility of
...rejection!
(GO FIGURE!)
Truth be told then,
I should be familiar with rejection,
at ease with the often critical and merciless judgement of others
and practically able to...
leap small art institutes,
museums and music directors...
in a single bound...
:o)
(Unfortunately for me, however, not so much.)
Lucky for me, though,
people can change
and changing,
I am.
No more tears, no more hiding.
No more quitting, no more running.
No more blaming, no more denial...
(ouch)
no more
doing anything other than,
that's right...
trying, again!
So,
I celebrate that I received
my first official rejection letter from a major publisher
on none other than
the Birthday
of our beloved Dr. Seuss!
As a matter of fact...
I, Renee DeLeon,
by the power made possible by
a lifetime endurance of multiple rounds of
heart ripping rejection_
after of which
I have picked myself up_
dusted myself off_
and tried, tried, again...
hereby formally
invite you...
to celebrate my rejection!
That's right_
celebrate!
Hey, if I am so blessed as to be able to follow in
even a few of his creative footsteps,
that leaves
only ninety-nine rejections
left to go!!!
(Laughter,
or so they say,
is the best medicine.)
Thanks to the determination and perseverance of Dr. Seuss to NOT allow repeated rejection to decide his contribution to the literary world and unfathomable numbers of precious young readers, I celebrate my own rejection and count it as a means to strengthen my creative abilities, passion, ambitious dreams and own determination to continue to try, try and try, again.
Thing One and
Thing Two and
Horton Hears a Who,
could Dr. Seuss
have imagined
the incredible good
his own life's work
would do?
I think,
somehow,
he did!
:o)
:o)
:o)
f
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