Dealing with Disappointment

For those of you who don’t know, I’m currently serving as president of Georgia Romance Writers. Yesterday I finished my July column for our award-winning newsletter The Galley, and I addressed our disappointed members who won’t be attending the RWA Conference at the end of July in Atlanta, which is our home turf. Some can’t afford to go or have other obligations that prevent them from attending. I thought some of you might enjoy reading the assignment I gave to our members not attending the conference. Some of these exercises, though geared to my chapter members who are writers, may work just as well for people who get passed over for a job promotion, people who’s air conditioner is on the fritz in ninety degree weather, and for parents of children on summer vacation who bicker every day.

To brighten your spirits, you must pick at least one item in the list that follows and perform it to your best ability. Let me know if it helped!

1. Wallow in a pint of your favorite full fat ice cream. If you’re really depressed, go for the half gallon. High wallow factor flavors include Mayfield Moose Tracks, Starbucks’ Coffee Almond Fudge, and Godiva White Chocolate Raspberry.

2. Turn your lemons into the proverbial lemonade. Or better yet, your limes into mojitos! If your particular disappointment is that you aren’t going to the RWA Conference, type up queries to the editors or agents you won’t be having an appointment with, affix stamps and mail them. If it’s your kids bickering, give them chores! They’ll be too busy to fight, and you’ll have a clean house at the end of the day.

3. Whine to your husband, best friend, and/or children as often as possible. You might as well spread the misery; it’s cathartic.

4. Throw yourself a romance pity party, I mean film fest. Pop some popcorn; Charge yourself $5 for a coke. Throw juju fruits at your husband.

5. See that stack of books in your “to be read” leaning tower of Pisa? Spread the books on the floor, blindfold yourself with a scarf and pick one. Read it. If you don’t have a stack to be read, go to the library or your favorite bookstore. I recommend books written by Noodlers. You can see our latest releases on the right side of the Blog.

6. Channel your favorite heroine. Well, fiddle dee dee, why not? Baffle your friends, family, and the people you work with.

7. Put on your favorite “poor pitiful me” song on the CD player and belt it out at the top of your lungs even if you’re tone deaf and the neighbor’s dog starts howling. Suggested song choices: “All by Myself” or “I Don’t Care Anymore.”

8. Write a limerick about the someone or someones who had a hand in your disappointment. “There was a boss named Belle, who brought me to this particular hell…”

posted by Mo H @ 8:41 AM