Feeling rejected? Whether professional or personal, I know how painful it is.
Professional. When submitting my book’s manuscript to agents in hopes of finding one to represent me, it was difficult to stay motivated enough to continue writing while receiving a steady stream of rejection letters. Or worse, no response at all. When I followed every single step of an agent’s guidance in a book he had written, I was sure he would take on the book. His response? “It will get published, but not by one of the Six Sisters,” (i.e., the major publishers). “Good luck.” My husband, bless him, held me while I cried. I wrote nothing for a week.
Then there was the year I shared an office with a woman who quit talking to me, not so much as a simple, “Good morning.” To this day, I have no idea what prompted her behavior. It was all the more difficult because I was caring for my mother who was having one health crisis after another. Thankfully, I was not stuck in the office all the time.
Personal. My roommate in college for junior and senior years was a close friend. Our senior year went downhill fast, however, until she avoided me completely. Fortunately, we had two rooms that year with a shared sink area, so it was tolerable. Since she was getting married after graduation, I gave her a shower at the end of the year in hopes of healing the friendship, but the positive effects were short-lived. Our other friends didn’t have a clue, either; sadly, I never heard from her again.
Another friend’s son, one of those crucial relationships, has minimized contact with her and her husband for years. These are good people! And sadly, the daughter is turning against them now, as well. My friend has a gaping hole in her heart.
Are there helpful ways to respond rejection? I’ll talk about that next week.
by Kathleen Vestal Logan, MS, MA July 12, 2017