Medal Meanderings

Like everyone else, I’ve been watching the Olympics this week. I’ve especially been interested in gymnastics because my daughter competed in gymnastics for years. I could relate to Aly Raisman’s parents as they clinched their teeth, hid their eyes, moved back and forth in their seats, and put a death grip on the arm rests. I did all that trying to hold my daughter on the beam or making sure she didn’t miss the high bar on a release move! I could relate to the “mom” stories as I remembered long hours spent driving to and from the gym while juggling other children and trying to maintain a happy home. My daughter had her share of wins and I had more than my share of proud moments. The point of all this is, one day she decided that there was more to life than gymnastics. She might have gotten a college scholarship, but the Olympics were out of reach. She decided there were other goals to reach besides standing on the top of a podium in a smelly gym, and she moved on, putting her whole heart into other pursuits. Now, even though she does coach gymnastics part-time, (she’s a really strict coach, which I find hilarious since she bitterly complained that her own coaches were so hard on her)her heart belongs to her family. Sometimes we have to decide that enough is enough and move on. The book of our heart, no matter how well-written, will not be published, at least not with a traditional publisher. We can find a new story, throw ourselves into it wholeheartedly, and be happy. It doesn’t make us losers if we’re not published right away or even at all. Yes, we need to be goal oriented, but not at the expense of our mental health. Marriage counselors tell us to look back and remember why we fell in love with our husbands. As writers, we need to remember falling in love with writing and let those happy memories fire our enthusiasm and our creativity. Is the gold medal of writing a publishing contract or the soaring feeling you get when a plot falls into place and you’re thrilled with your characters? You decide! I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.