My gloves don’t have holes
I took a vacation from work for the last three weeks. Yeah, sounds luxurious, but I really wanted to spend some time with my son (who started kindergarten yesterday!) and decide what I want to do with the rest of the year. To be honest, I’d gotten a little burned out from the endless pitching/waiting/pitching/waiting and then having to move at warp speed on revises.
So I got my head together, cleaned and reorganized my office, and set some new goals for myself. Then the sh*t started hitting the fan, although to be perfectly honest, the sh*t started flying during my break. First, I’d finally gotten an assignment from a women’s magazine I’d been pitching all summer, then just as I got the contract, they announced they were closing shop. I sent the story to another editor: that same day, she was laid off. Today I find out another magazine I write for is up for sale, potentially putting several editors I know and love out of work — and me out of assignments. I found out my nemesis pulled a fast one on me. My scanner isn’t working, my laptop keeps crashing … oh, and did I mention it’s already feeling a lot like winter in Boston? My husband corrects me with “It’s still fall.” But let’s get real … we all know what’s around the corner: stiff fingers, ice on the windshield, no more flip flops. I hate winter, dammit.
OK, you’re probably thinking, “Shut up already. I come here to get encouraged, not to refill my Xanax.” But this is the part that’s good. I’m sitting here feeling all crummy and sad, and then I think, “Screw this. I’m going to make $25,000 by December 31, 2006.” I guess at heart I’m an optimist who has occasional arrhythmias of despair. And I’m a shameless capitalist, to boot. I thought: “You know, nothing has changed for me. Sure, some work opportunities may be flying south for the winter, but I still can write. I can market myself. I have tons of story ideas. Staples sells scanners. My nemesis still hasn’t generated an original thought in that vacuum between her ears. My gloves don’t have holes. My life is good.”
So … how do you pick yourself up when you get heaps of bad news? – [DB]
I usually indulge when I find out about bad news, whether it be doing some knitting, going for a jog, heading to a yoga class, or having a nice dinner. In a sense, this is similar to what you did in it reminds me that there are still good things in my life and the bad is only temporary.
I grab a glass of wine and call a friend who is my cheerleader (and vice versa). I have an incredibly supportive husband. If all else fails I hunt up a few “you rock” emails from these and others in the depths of my email inbox — a few minutes looking at praise from people who know this business always helps.