Tail-wagging & other ways of giving thanks

One of my favorite Southernisms is, "It’s a sad puppy that won’t wag its own tail."  My Yankee interpretation? It’s a back-door reminder to give thanks for our blessings. 

I think it’s engrained in us to be humble about our achievements, maybe even self-effacing.  Especially women: On the whole, we’re more reluctant to give ourselves a shout-out. (Cross your legs at the ankles, keep your thoughts to yourself…) But I think we should celebrate every achievement, tangible or otherwise. 

So…What say we do some tail-wagging for Thankful Thursday? I’m fully caffeinated, so how ’bout I start? 

Last week, a thick cloud of dirt and debris pelted my ankles and darkened my doorway. Life’s like that sometimes, isn’t it? But by nightfall yesterday, I’d managed to tamp down the dust, and to reshape the experience into an important scene for my memoir.  As I watched the sunrise from my office window this morning, I reflected on this minor miracle. Bolstered by supportive friends and family, I’d managed to turn lemons into lemonade, water into wine…[insert your favorite metaphor]. My sense of accomplishment has more to do with counting my blessings (again, grace) than numbering the words I typed. And yet, I have to add, I wrote quite a lot!

You’re next on the parade route. C’mon, let’s hear you toot that horn! With all due apologies for another mixed metaphor.

19 Comments

  1. Yay for you! I think tooting our horns is an important part of LJ Land. People are afraid to tell their good news–I’ve always wondered why. We’ve all worked very hard. Contracts have come sooner for some than others. But when the contracts come for my friends, or when someone gets a personal rejection, or when someone has an awesome writing day, I wanna hear about it! The ups and the downs are what makes LJ comforting and worthwhile for me–real people, real lives. So toot away, I say!

    Of course, that said, I got nuthin. 🙂 Hehe

    xo,
    Cathy

    • I’m with you–I love celebrating other people’s good news. A win for one is a win for all, I say. 🙂

      You *do* have something! You’ve got a sparkly new ‘do for the new year.
      xo

  3. I’m not sure if this is exactly what you’re looking for, but I am thankful this Thursday!

    As you know, I have some news that I’ll be able to discuss further next week. Meanwhile, I’ve been in contact with agents who have my materials so that I might tie up all the loose ends.

    This morning, I received a response from one agent stating that he’d already emailed a rejection at the end of November which I evidently had never received. He went on to say: I really went back and forth for quite a while after reading your manuscript. There was a lot to like about it: well written, sharp and smart. But I ultimately decided that the fact that I was waffling was probably a sign that I was not the best person to go out with it.

    I’m thankful two-fold. Firstly, that while he was waffling, he recognized that he wasn’t the right agent to represent me. And secondly, that I never received his previous email!

    November was an especially rough month for me regarding my writing. To be completely honest, if I’d received that rejection at just that time, I’m not sure whether I would have had the sudden inspiration to revise and send out more queries in December like I did. I might have thought, Okay, this manuscript has clearly made its rounds and no one is connecting with it. I need to fully move on to the next project now.

    Obviously, if I’d done that, I wouldn’t be in the place I am right now. So, hooray for a technology mishap!

  5. Ummm… I asked my agent a dumb question about my contract, then realized that the answer was there all along if I’d just read more closely. So… I discovered I can read?

    • LOL!

      There’s something(s) wonderful to be said about having an agent who responds kindly (and helpfully) to “dumb” questions.

      And also…a book contract! That’s worth a ton of tail wagging!

      • *snort* Well, I discovered it was a dumb question when she DIDN’T respond. I read again and thought, “I’d probably answer this with radio silence, too.” Not that she isn’t kind and helpful in general…

        P.S. I hope you’re doing better with the dad thing.

        • Ha!

          Revision: There’s something to be said for an agent who knows how to save you from yourself. 🙂

          My father’s situation…hmm. I’ve come to terms, I guess. Were I a fiction-writer, I couldn’t have dreamed up the latest installment in his story.

  6. Well, toot: I checked google analytics on my site today and I’ve had quite a nice amount of visitors! Plus, today I was invited to go to a school and give a talk in February. Well paid, no less! So go Melodye, and go me!

  8. Couldn’t help noticing those cute little puppies wagging their tails. I had a saying when someone ask how I was. I would reply” I’m finer than a frog hair split 5 ways on Friday. Twice as hard to find and 3 times as hard to catch.”
    Now one of the ladies at the office challenged me one morning to come up with a different saying. I thought and thought all day and when I went in that evening she looked at me and said ” How are you?’
    I looked at her with a straight face and a glimmer in my eyes as I said ” I’m finer than a flock of fleas at a dog show.” With that, she busted out in laughter and told me I had out done myself.
    Thankful Thursday… I’m thankful for all the friends I have discovered in here.

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