I'm approaching 70, so I am confident that I am an expert on rejection and abandonment—so much so that I have written about it in a couple of my books. However, I can't wholly admit that I am an expert at anything else I write about. I find that those dynamics that keep showing up in our lives tend to offer lessons, and when we learn from them, we may well become experts on the subject. So here I am in the last year of my 60's an expert on rejection and abandonment anxiety. I sent out a book proposal to an agent last week. This book is about how people who hear and see inwardly and outwardly discover the divinity within themselves and outside themselves. And how this divine presence can transform anxiety into serenity. It took her one day to let me know that this was not what she was looking for. On my walk the next day, I had an ah-ha moment -- well, more of a reminder. I remembered that this wasn't a rejection but simply a "not now," "not this person," and "not at this time.” I get my best ideas on my walks. This ah-ha came on the heels of another idea for the book on divine presence. Had the agent accepted my book, I likely would have missed this valuable insight. So, "not yet," allows me to explore more about this subject of our inner and outer divinity as a healer to our myriad expressions of anxiety. What tends to repeat in your life that may be worth exploring on the page? Write about that. "There are other ways to know she is present as well, perhaps most occurring under the “category” of a sweetly quiet “Aha!” somewhere in the vicinity between heart and divinity." Estes Ph.D., Clarissa Pinkola. from, Untie the Strong Woman: Blessed Mother's Immaculate Love for the Wild Soul At this remarkable age I can also trust the timing of what becomes possible and when. Every supposed rejection (from people, publishers, groups, family) has in the end brought me to where I want to be, often where I am meant to be, and with whom. Through the various rejections I have found my inner and outer home. So, I am a tad excited about this most recent no, because a yes is sure to arrive, just in time. "After the final no there comes a yes / And on that yes the future world depends.” ― Wallace Stevens. This is the quote that I put at the start of my first book that was published by Doubleday back in 1989, because I could have wallpapered my house with rejection slips.
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©2024 Julie Tallard Johnson, MSW, LCSW
Mentor, therapist, citizen
Transformational & Embodied Counselor & Mentor
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Mentor, therapist, citizen
Transformational & Embodied Counselor & Mentor
Most rights reserved. Admin