Dear readers,
Expect the Unexpected--to use a cliché (usually not recommended for good writing) but alas, clichés are clichés because they are true. The other day I was comfortably installed in my lawn chair by the pond, leafing through the newest edition of Bella Grace Magazine that I had just picked up at Barnes & Noble, when I came upon a familiar title: "Recipe for a Perfect Porch Day." Wait! What? Hey! That's mine! Sure enough, in the upper right corner of the facing page it says, "Prompt by
Annette Gendler."
My work is in the summer issue of Bella Grace and I had no idea. I was miffed and thrilled at the same time. Mainly thrilled, actually, that an idea of mine had been picked up and elaborated on. Just last week I had been pontificating to my Memoir Workshop students about how you need to be original and
package yourself. Well, this piece was 100% me, my idea.
Here's the back story: I had submitted my blog post "Recipe for a Perfect Day on the Porch" to the Bella Grace blog hop back in August of 2014, held to celebrate the magazine's first issue. I got a nice comment from the blog hop's organizer and that was
that.
However, the idea lived on. The publisher, Stampington, called for submissions on Facebook: "we want to know what your recipe for the perfect porch day is. Comment below for a chance to get published in Issue 4, available June 1." This was unbeknownst to me;
they didn't tag me and while I did like their page, clearly on Facebook one does not see everything everybody posts.
I have since corresponded with the editor who was apologetic but claimed she did send me an email, which for sure I did not receive. Publication news is not something I overlook. Anyway, we're all good and I will even be paid. Why am I sharing all this? I'm proud, of course, but I also feel this is a good example of what it's like to live the creative life:
- You put your stuff out there and you never know what can happen.
- While you might be moping about your lack of success in one area, in another great things can be under way without you even knowing
it.
- If you manage to capture something unique about yourself into a creative piece, chances are it will resonate.
- Others might like your idea so much they'll run with it and make more of it (Stampington developed these cute recipe cards, see below, featured on page 3 of the
article.)
- Surprises do happen. I would never have predicted this!
- Have faith in your work, the unexpected will happen.
Have your own Perfect Porch Day! (Recipe card courtesy of Bella Grace.)
Incidentally, I've been readying our porch for summer, so this article celebrating my porch life fits right in. Isn't it wonderful when life gels like that? I've been planting flowers I bought at our local garden fair; I cleared plant debris from
the box of parsley I managed to carry through the winter (How's that for a green thumb? I turned an annual plant into one that is seeing at least another summer!). I sowed some seeds (more parsley, some basil and the poppy flower seeds my friend sent me, mentioned in my last newsletter). Now there's the excitement of the wait: Will the seeds grow? Oh, and my husband bought a whole bunch of tomato plants with their own fancy pot contraption to water themselves. He checks on them very sweetly
and very frequently. We are both gardening on that porch of ours!
Wishing you a good month of June
with lots of happy, warm and delicious time outside and hopefully a joyous surprise here and there as well,
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