March 10, 2011

“THE DEEPER THAT SORROW CARVES INTO YOUR BEING THE MORE JOY CAN BE CONTAINED” – Kahlil Gibran

A friend paid me an oblique compliment the other day. We were talking about my blog of March 8 and the rude publisher I’d encountered. “Well one thing about you, Caroline. You’re a tough old bird. That stuff runs off your back.” It’s true. To be a writer, as with much in life, one needs resilience. A touch of humor doesn’t hurt either.

That lesson came home not long after our conversation. I stumbled upon a video that began on a bitter note (thanks to BruBearBaby for sharing). Having received a rejection to his job application, a man rips the letter in half in an act of despair. His baby watches and having no sense of the seriousness of the occasion begins to laugh. Surprised but curious, the father tears the letter again and again his child breaks into gales of laughter.   

The man repeats his experiment several times to the infant’s delight — a response which transforms the father’s disappointment into a joyous event. 

There’s a lesson here for all of us.