Good News and Better News

Love in Reality did not final in the Golden Heart®.  That's not the good news, precisely, but here's what's making me happy nonetheless:

My overarching thought about not getting "The Call" was -- after all the stress was over -- "This will make RWA National a lot easier."

Now, I'm not denying I was disappointed, but I wasn't crushed, and I could see the balance in the situation.  I'd like to think if I had finaled, I'd have ignored the hassle and concentrated on the advantages of being a Golden Heart® finalist.

What makes all this good, for me, is that I haven't always been able to see the balances in life.  Which brings me to the better news.

I didn't feel rejected and I didn't feel as though my manuscript had been rejected.  Don't ask me where that degree of sangfroid comes from because the last time I looked I didn't have it.

But oh boy am I glad I have it now.

Hawaiian Sunrise
Or as the photographer puts it, "sounds like a cocktail with too much sugar in it."