It has been a tumultuous week for me. I had the priviledge of interviewing J.C. Hutchins for ‘Get Published’ (GOOD) only to discover that half of the audio is incomprehensible and J.C. is booked solid for the next while (BAD). I am going to try and transcribe the dialogue and re-record it myself, but honestly, how good will a conversation between the same voice be? I’m planning to adjust the voice on J.C.’s side of the conversation just to actually make it sound like a conversation, but still.
Then my wife badly injures her hand (VERY BAD) and we spend the next 6+ hours in emergency. Now, just to be clear, I don’t get upset by that sort of thing easily… at least not when I do it to myself. My family, on the other hand, is a different story. When one of them gets hurt I tend to get very distraught. Fortunately, the hand will heal and should be good as new in a few weeks/months (VERY GOOD).
Yesterday, I received an email from an old boss telling me that a former colleague and friend had been killed in a car accident. I will dedicate a post to him later; a few lines here would not do him justice. Suffice it to say this is not a good thing. This morning I learned that ‘Get Published’ has been shortlisted for a Parsec Award (GOOD thing, but doesn’t come anywhere near cancelling out the previous BAD thing).
OK, so 200+ words in and what’s my point?
Well… I guess I would say… Life Happens (feel free to substitute the word life with one less savoury if you like).
But what is the right response when you get innundated with Life occurances? I don’t think there is one single right answer to that question. For some, it might mean sitting back and reflecting on things or celebrating or simply remembering. For others, it may mean putting all your thoughts down on paper while they are still fresh and raw. I think it depends on the person and the events themselves.
I did a little of all those things depending on which of the events I mentioned.
They say you should write what you know. This week I have known horror, relief, overwhelming sadness and guilt, disbelief, remorse, loss and even a little happiness. It has been a week that I will likely remember always with mixed emotions and it has been a week that will live on in my writing.
Am I glad for it? No! I would definitely pass up the events of this week if it meant my friend were still with us and my wife had never been hurt. That choice is not mine to make. All I can do is take what has happened and move forward.
They say that from great pain comes great art. Today I think I know what they were talking about.
