When you make a mistake, does it frustrate you? Of course. Your goal or
dream is now at worst unattainable, at best delayed. What other response is
there?
How about, “Really!” I now have a new opportunity to learn something,
something unexpected, and something that might lead to a surprising payoff. Unravel a
puzzle. Solve a mystery. Both can boost one’s ego; both demonstrate you’re intelligent.
By continually tackling the unexpected problems, one develops a large tool box
of strategies to handle the next unwanted challenge.
Naturally a fall in the climb to a goal will upset a person. The key is
that the disturbance is short. Why? Because of one’s self-confidence. I can do this. I can figure this out.
One acquires this self-confidence by solving past setbacks. Success builds success. Another
factor that builds a person’s self-confidence is seeing that others
work at and overcome
their stumbling blocks.
In my novel, Baggage burdens. several characters face
unexpected, unwanted challenges and still achieve their goal. One such
character is Josey. Her ability to solve problems earns her the admiration of
Jill, her granddaughter. Like any grandmother Josey wants to be close to her
daughter and her daughter’s children. Because of Josey’s aggressive criticism
of Frank’s drinking, her son-in-law demands that there be no more contact in
his family with Josey. To handle this unexpected development Josey develops a
social network to find out what is happening in her daughter’s family. She does
the same when Jill, her granddaughter, runs three provinces away from her. An
old person like Josey can be said to have a lifetime of experiences to grant
her unfailing self-assurance, however, Amber, a young growing artist shows that
same confidence.
Julie, Jill’s niece, shows unfailing resourcefulness in her search for
her aunt, Jill. Julie and her husband move from Oshawa, Ontario to Edmonton,
Alberta. At the request of her great grandmother, Josey, Julie searches for
Jill who lives in Camrose, Alberta. At first Julie gets nowhere. She’s seen as
an outsider. Moving to Camrose solves her problem. Gradually she’s welcomed a member of the community. Slowly she discovers the location of her aunt.
Now while the examples that follow below may be dismissed as figments of
the author’s imagination, readers are challenged to look at the lives of
members of their family or friends. That’s how I found my examples of people
confidently accepting and solving unexpected challenges.
After
the baptism, Frank came to church with Alice,” says Josey. “I began to think
that being a father was changing him. Later, I learned that he was drinking
less and coming home earlier. I didn’t needle him about his drinking. I learned
my lesson.”
“Wait
a minute. Did Mom tell you that my father was drinking less?”
“Oh
no. That was a touchy subject. Alice and I didn’t discuss that. I knew a number
of women whose husbands worked at the GM plant and had the same shift as Frank.
They were my grape vine. They kept me well informed. For instance, I knew that
Frank was being considered for a promotion. One of the supervisors fell
seriously ill and Frank’s name came up as a replacement. Frank was known for
quality work. He also had a talent for teaching new procedures to men and
encouraging them to accept changes.”
“You
knowing that shouldn’t have been a problem,” says Jill.
“It
wasn’t, but I also found out when Frank drank heavily. One night when he left
the bar, he backed into a metal railing damaging the passenger’s side of his
car. I waited until his day off to visit Alice. It was only three days later.
Frank hadn’t booked the vehicle with a body shop yet. Of course I drew his
attention to the damage. He tried to brush it off by saying it was just a
little accident. I said, an accident
fueled by alcohol. That was my mistake.”
“What
do you mean?”
“I
let it slip that I heard all about the accident. I exposed my grape vine.”
“Then
you are family,” says Ann. “And I
helped unite your family! This is wonderful. We know so little about Jill
before she came to Camrose. Any interesting skeletons in the closet?” asks Ann,
laughing.
“Probably
none,” answers Julie quickly with a sly grin. “If Jill—may I call you that?”
asks Julie, looking at Jill.
Jill
nods.
“If
Jill hasn’t rattled them, I won’t be either.”
“Now
that’s a close family,” laughs Ann approvingly. “Protect each other.”
For
the first time since she sat at the table, Jill sips her tea and takes a
cookie. “Kind of like the people in Camrose,” adds Julie.
“What
do you mean?” asks Ann, surprised.
“I
drove down from Edmonton. That’s where Scott, my husband, and I lived. I drove
here several weekends to see if I could pick up a trace of Jill, but I think I
was seen as a stranger. No one would tell me anything. Finally I convinced
Scott to move down here. As I thought, once people saw I was from around here,
they’d start to open up. Even then it was tough. For a while, the most I heard
was, ‘Yes, some young blond girl moved here from the east.’ Eventually your
name,” Julie looks to Ann, “surfaced. Several people said I should talk to Mrs.
Teemosky. I began asking how I could find you.” Julie looks at Ann. “Your pastor
directed me,” explains Julie. “I take it you’ve attended this church?” Julie
looks to Jill.
“Sometimes,”
says Jill, taking another sip of her tea.
“I
thought the pastor knew more than he was letting on,” says Julie, nodding.
“Look what I made for you, Aunt Julie,”
announces Amber as she tugs her aunt's hand.
Julie
squats. “What’ve you got there?” She points to an index card held in Amber’s
hand.
Amber
turns the card around for Julie to see a strawberry shortcake that she painted.
“For you,” announces Amber. “You like strawberry shortcakes, so I painted one
for you.”
“It’s
beautiful. And such incredible detail! I can even see the seeds on the
strawberries. For me? You sure?”
Amber
nods, prompting Julie to give her a hug and thank her.
“Let
me show you something special,” says Amber. She reaches for her card. “You see
this?”
“Yes.”
“It
kind of looks like a mistake, doesn’t it?” confesses Amber. “A bug landed on my
work, so I used a corner of a toilet paper to wipe it away. I tried to be
really careful and just barely touch the painting. It smudged. I was going to
throw it away. Then I used my finger to brush away the spot. It smeared. I
looked at it again.” Floating her thumb gently over the smudge, she explains,
“I lengthened it. Now it looks like someone took a spoon and started eating the
cake. Don’t you think that’s what it looks like?”
“I
do!” says Julie, surprised at the young artist’s creative genius. “I’m sure
glad you didn’t throw it out. I think I’ll buy a frame and put your painting in
it. When you come to my place someday …” She pauses and looks at Jill.
When Jill nods her approval, Julie continues, “You’ll see it up on the wall.”
“Really!”
Amber’s thrilled.
Her
mother hasn’t framed any of her pictures. After Amber runs back to the house to
play with Sarah, Julie turns to Jill. “You know, this is really good!
haiku capsule:
build self
confidence
overcome
unplanned challenges
Witness a
winner.
Next blog:
Good
Friends––A Most Valuable Asset
