Validation

February has been an exciting month so far. A road trip to Palm Springs gave us a brief respite from the bone-chilling winter. It was glorious.

We did all our first-o-the year medical tests and passed. Excitement abounds!

The most astonishing news though, is that I got offered representation by a Literary Agency! I don't know what the protocol is to announce such things, and it feels a little on the edge of immodest bragging, but so many of you have been cheering me on this writing journey, that I wanted to share the good news even if I can't/don't know if I can/ be very specific.

I have watched friends work hard to self publish their work and have always admired their tenacity. For some reason (probably vanity) I wanted to go the traditional route. I thank you for your invaluable help and encouragement. I couldn't have come this far without it, but there is something gratifying about having someone who has never met you, take you on blind faith and on the strength of the words on the page. It is validating.

Validation gives you hope that a dream you have followed for so long may actually come true. It makes you feel like a supernova.

Isn't that what we all want in some way or another? We want those people in our world, our partners, our bosses, our co-workers, our friends, and our soon to be friends, to value us as unique and irreplaceable. We want to know we fill a niche no one else can fill because of our combination of talents, peculiarities, and vision. There is nothing so heart warming than to be recognized by our world no matter how large or how small.

I hope for you all the gift of validation. I hope you can take great joy in all your special accomplishments (like making the best chili ever, or being able to whistle through your teeth and quiet a noisy room) and know that it makes you an unrivaled entity that sparkles in the firmament. Keep sparkling! We light each other's way.