Weakness = Strength?

There's a thought going round that we focus too much on our weaknesses, which takes time and energy away from furthering our strengths. I understand the point, but I don't agree. More to my way of thinking is the belief that one's greatest weakness is also their greatest strength. In my story, which was published in the compilation book, Heart of Mother, I write of how Mama knew me and my brothers and told us about ourselves. Through playing cards, she pointed out my desire to win fast. You can read that story by clicking here http://kayshostak.blogspot.com/2009/09/addendum-for-todays-blog-heart-of.html
My three kids have weaknesses - sorry for the sudden shock. One hates making decisions, one is an instant expert, and one has never met a good change. But those are also their strengths. Not making decisions quickly means all sides are examined and many options usually come to light. Being an instant expert, means being confident and ready to lead. Disliking change makes that one laid back, easy going and comfortable to be around. Who better than parents to tell their kids who they are - good and bad.
Me being aware of my desire to win fast had helped me know myself. The strength in that flaw? I'm a mover. When something is wrong or messed up, I gotta get involved. Often I've lamented that I hate to find a problem, because I can't rest until it's fixed.
So knowing our strenths AND weaknesses makes for better knowing ourselves. I heard this one time and liked it so much it still hangs on my refrigerator door.
"Walk in your strengths, manage your weaknesses."

Looking for some Rejection

Somewhere in the night I decided to sent query letters out to several agents today. A query letter is one page asking if the agent might be interested in seeing some or all of your book. The problem with sending out query letters is they lead to a lot of "No's".
Most of the "No's" aren't mean, but they're still a rejection. And, seriously, who goes looking for rejection? The truth is, most anyone that gets anything done. In baseball, a coveted .300 batting average means you fail way more than you get a hit. And for Michael Jordan to be the highest scorer, also meant he held the record of missing more shots than anyone.
Haven't we all been turned down on something we really, really wanted? But we walk away, saying that at least we tried.
So somewhere in those moments of waking up, I decided to go for some big ol' "No's" today and do it enthusiastically. (Yeah, right.) With cup of coffee in hand I turned on the news and remembered that today is the eight anniversary of 9/11.
And it hit me. Those folks that died that day would've loved more chances to try for their dreams and be told "No."
So today I'm going to send out those query letters remembering that life is short and we never know when our dreams run out of chances.

Never let 'em see you Sweat

Walking past the deck doors yesterday, I noticed my zinnias were hanging low. Curled leaves, turned dusty green, drooped beside orange flowers with sagging petals. This wet summer has made me even less vigilant on watering. Most of the flowers I plant in pots don't show that daily wilt of weaklings like impatiens or fuchsia. Much too fussy and demanding for me. Geraniums like to go dry and then get a ton of water - I can do that. Lantana love the desert-like conditions of my deck and my sporadic watering habits. Same for moss roses. Only problem is that by time they do tell me they're dry - they're most likely dead. So the wilted zinnias caused everyone to get a drink and an instant lift.
A friend called last night and she was having a horrible day. She said it only started getting better when she acknowledged it and shared it. I have an e-mail prayer group for my writing because I need to have a few folks I trust to let me vent, cry, express my fear, doubt and panic. Many times just typing the words starts the healing. Then to know others are reading about my pain and praying for me. It's like a cool drink of water on a hot day.
Writing yesterday's blog about the darkness of the tunnel was hard - to lay it out on the line and say, I'm struggling. But being strong all the time is a fallacy. A lie. Portraying never flagging strength is a sure sign of inner weakness. To never stop and rest is to deny being human. To want to be God.
And I'm pretty sure that's what got Adam and Eve in trouble.
God knows we have limits and gave us each other to lean on. I need to be more like my zinnia and let others see my struggle. Not like my lantana - only admitting failure when I'm dead.