Of Contest and such....

I'm not a nail biter. I ususally don't ingest my body parts in anticipation of waiting to hear news. But today, I find myself wanting to bite my nails. The urge is so great that I purposely cut them down so I wouldn't do it.

The issues at hand is waiting to hear news on a contest.

I watched my critique partners go through this same process. They whine, bitch, and stamp their cloven hoofs in anticipation of whatever news (good or bad) that they might receive.

I think I just chewed off my nail polish!

I entered myself in a contest − unwillingly I might add − and now, I am looking at the clock to see if my entry made it through the third round. Yes, each week, I have put myself through this torture.

It has made me re-think entering contests. The rejection alone can rock your world. Anyone that is in the profession of exposing their vulnerable side for the entire world runs the risk of rejection in it's most public format.

I am not above humiliation, we all go through it but I often wonder if, spiritually exposing one's self is a good idea. However, in order for the soul to grow, for us humans to learn our life lessons, we must be willing to expose the soft underbelly of self.

So here I sit, with my coffee in hand, eyes shifting back and forth between computer and clock, thinking...LET THE CONTEST BEGIN!