Feeling Skunked

Feeling Skunked

Ever notice annoying things happen when you do not have time to deal with them? Murphy’s Law or something like that. And it stinks. In my case, or rather, my dog’s case, it stunk literally.

On the day that I was to board a plane for the ACFW conference, I kept to my normal routine and took my dog, Niko, for our morning walk.

We are fortunate to have a place where I can walk off my pumpkin spice creamer calories while he runs off leash.

Let’s face it, I can’t give up the pumpkin. Nor do I want to, but I’m willing to do the work to keep the deliciousness that pumpkin creamer provides. Sorry…lost focus and I digress. Pumpkin spice does that to me.

Anyway, on that particular morning, the sun hadn’t fully risen, but it wasn't pitch-black dark. So, when Niko bolted into a field, I couldn’t see what he was chasing.

Until it was too late.

With a black tail lifted high, the animal went scurrying into a tree line, and Niko returned to me. I smelled him long before he reached me.

Niko had met his first skunk, and all I could say was, “Are you kidding me?” 

Although he sneezed a lot afterward, Niko really didn’t seem bothered by the smell. I, however, went into a panic. I needed to fix it, and fast. After all, I had a plane to catch, and I had no clue where to start. I didn’t have time to de-skunk (is that even a word?) my dog!

Thankfully, several friends and our amazing groomer, offered a sure-fire fix for ridding Niko of the stench. And, thanks to the help of my adult son, who selflessly offered to wash Niko so that I could make my flight, Niko’s skunk days are behind him.

That whole experience got me to thinking…

Sometimes, we bear the stench of broken dreams, rejection, disappointment, and hopelessness. And those times can sure make us feel like we’ve been skunked.

For writers, rejection is a part of the journey, but that doesn’t make the trip any easier. Rejection is hard, and nobody I know wants to encounter it. Nobody willingly signs up just to be shot down. Nobody wants that nasty book review or the rejected book proposal.

And yet, rejection makes us rethink our story, forcing us back to the keyboard to make it the best it can possibly be.

Is rejection skunking you? Is it defeating you? Are you wondering if there’s ever going to be a time when you get a thumbs-up instead of a thumbs-down?

Maybe it’s that promotion you’ve been working so hard toward. The sale you thought for sure you’d made. The agent that seemed so interested in representing you. The positive pregnancy test you’ve longed to see. When those things don’t happen, it's easier to ask, "Why bother to keep trying? Why not give up and save ourselves the heartache?"

Because we can’t.

Hope springs eternal for that dream, even if it’s only an inkling of an urge…oh you know, about the size of a mustard seed? Yep. That small. We’re holding on to that hope. Because there’s this part of us that wonders…what if we give up today and then discover our dream would’ve been realized tomorrow? What if we've given up too soon?

Like Niko, we might struggle with getting rid of the stench of rejection. It might weigh us down or make us feel less than. It might be the voice that seems louder than all the others, telling us we’re not enough, that we’ll never make it. Rejection can sure feel like a skunk attack.

For Niko, the de-skunking required two lengthy baths, some intense soaking in the soap, and a final grooming appointment. It wasn’t easy. He had to be committed. At least, his owners did.

And he had to know that all of the time – even the waiting time – was worth it. The process was necessary to rid him of the stench that had drenched his fur.

Friend, I don’t know where you are or what it is that you’re enduring, but can I encourage you today and tell you that waiting for your dream is necessary? And if rejection or disappointment have left you feeling skunked, know that hope—even a teeny tiny portion of it—is all you need to keep the dream alive. Get that odor of rejection off you and keep dreaming. Who knows what tomorrow might bring?