My fortune cookie at the Southern Breeze SCBWI conference read: “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. Thomas Edison”
I’ve been thinking of just a few examples of great opportunities and the overalls they represent.
College Graduation
• Boring lectures
• Cheerfully waiting tables for grumpy people, hoping to increase tips to pay the tuition
• Deadlines for papers
• Late night studying
Book Award
• Endless rewrites
• Multiple rejection letters
• Hours and hours with only the company of a chair, pen or pencil, paper, and computer
• All of the above – without any assurance the book will get published, much less win an award
Musician
• Tedious runs of scales
• Hours and hours of practice
• Repetitive work on trouble spots
• Skipping fun with friends to practice and take lessons
• Nerves before performances
• Embarrassing lapses of memory at recitals
Military Service
• Basic training accompanied by gnats in Southern heat
• Following orders that may or may not seem logical
• Living with danger
• Separations from family
• Living wherever Uncle Sam assigns
• Knowing not to put roots too deeply in any one place
Athlete
• Daily workouts through heat and cold
• Single-minded attention to one’s sport
• Following rules for diet, exercise, and sleep
• Losing, but coming back to play again
Teacher
• Years of unending training
• Grading mountains of papers
• Lesson plans, following whatever system is current this year
• Keeping a steady course as theoretical pendulums swing back and forth
• Caring for the group, but also for each student as an individual
The beginning of a new year seems like a good time to take note of Edison’s quote. Done well, each of these and many more goals follow hard work with satisfaction and fulfillment. In 2015, I hope you’ll join me in donning our overalls to make the most of our opportunities.