Gratitude

by Vivienne Lorret

When I’m stressed out—from managing appointments, errands, checkups, bills, house repairs, car repairs, family worries, etc.—and it seems as if everything is happening all at once, it’s difficult to be grateful. It’s difficult to stand back and to think of chaos as a thing of beauty. Tack on three book deadlines in six months and a full-blown panic sets in.

But wait…

Deadlines—that magic word that shocks me out of DEFCON 4 level anxiety.

I’m grateful for deadlines. Over the years of my writing career, I’ve received over a hundred rejection letters. Ninety-nine percent of those were form rejections.

Dear Author… It’s not you, it’s me. Well, actually… it IS you. But hey, keep your chin up and good luck finding another agent.

Over the years, I’d had a handful of requests for partials, and three requests for the full manuscript. Each rejection took its emotional toll. However, I’ve always been a writer. It’s part of who I am as much as my DNA is.

And so, I kept writing.

It took nearly twelve years of writing—mostly for friends and for myself—before I finally got “the call” from my publisher.

I’m still amazed by it. In fact, I often find myself wondering if it’s all a dream.

Then, I’ll remember how I’d babbled like a raving lunatic on the phone, unable to shut my own mouth. My brain had passed out and left my mouth to wander aimlessly. Yet, even though I’d thoroughly embarrassed myself, the most important part was that my dream had come true.

Now, when I’m stressed to the point of tears with life’s hiccups, stumbles and roadblocks, and the cursor is mocking me because I don’t have a clue what the next word should be, I step away from the computer, take a deep breath and say with immense gratitude: “I have a deadline.”



~ To find out more about Vivienne and her latest books, please visit her website at www.vivlorret.net