Take the Good with the Bad

"And where I was 

is beautiful

 because I was

 free..."

 -- Sara Bareilles 

"Once Upon Another Time" 

|Credit: [x]|

 Today is a good day. I got word that two of my poems and my nonfiction essay were published in my college's literary magazine, the Great Lake Review. Last spring, I was the managing editor for the book, and it was an amazing experience. Now that they accepted some of what I submitted, I understand things differently. I know the amount of work that goes into the project from inside experience -- and so I appreciate that they picked three of my works to add to the collection.

Today I want to talk about balance. You may have noted that for the past few days I've struggled with a ton of negative emotion and energy. Lots of things occured that really brought my spirit down and stressed me out. I had to keep reminding myself that all that is bad is balanced by all that is good -- even if there are some grey areas where things are not so cut-and-dry.

I went to the Fey Dragon yesterday before I had to gather my fellow O.S.P.A. members for a presentation on Shamanic Journeying. There, the owner spoke with me and burned incense labeled "spiritual cleansing," (which smelled fantastic, I might add.) She said that no matter what, I shouldn't give up. And I won't. Ever. There's a certain amount your heart that goes into something like starting a club, and just because a friendship fails does not mean that a group should fail, too.

How does this anecdote even relate to the one about being published in the campus lit journal? Well -- like I said, balance. Something good happened today that really lifted my spirits back to where they normally would be, and I'm incredibly glad for that. I feel better. Finally.