Friday, January 3, 2014

I love rejection












I love rejection........ok, not really. However, when I look at everything in my life as it currently stands, I should.

Rejection.....something we always fear and dread.The question is....should we?

I look back at the times in my life that I have felt or seen that awful feeling of rejection...heartbreak, disappointment, and a mixture of all feelings that leave you feeling sick. However, have you ever really reflected on what came from it? Sometimes bad, but usually it leads down a better path.

I wanted to share with you some of the top "rejection" moments in my life and what came from it.

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1. I was born, because my parents went through series of rejections and doing the "rejecting" in order to get me.I believe this probably happens with all of us. We are lucky to be alive. Ok....cheesy, but true.

2. My parents divorced when I was making the transition through middle school. At first, this was extremely difficult. In the end I have two parents who are happily remarried to wonderful human beings. My parents also changed for the better and molded me into a stronger person.

3. "I like you just a friend".....a common line I heard in middle school and some of high. Yes, I was also a foot shorter than most of the girls I went to school with from middle through high so that may have had something to do with it. I really looked like a little boy even through the beginning of my teaching career. During this time I learned a lot about relationships and was the guy who attained the nickname "Doc" in middle school, because I would counsel others who were feeling rejected. I used to want to be a marriage counselor, go figure. Luckily, later in high school, my "luck" started changing.

4. A few high school breakups (one being the more serious one) along with another "rejection" of girl I know of 19 years (from some guy I have known for even longer) changed my life forever. Now, I'm happily married with two beautiful daughters.....really a storybook ending (ok....you can stop gagging now). Really though, it's amazing how it all unfolded.

5. The first time I applied to the education program at Western I was denied. Forget about my high grade point average, a student government position, working in the education office along with countless other connections. I still remember my roommate reading me the letter of rejection over the phone when I was away for a nice weekend. I actually though he was joking. Obviously, this was a huge smack in the face. This meant more thousands of dollars for tuition having to go for another quarter along with not being with the people I planned on being with. However, from that came being in a program with even more awesome people, doing my student teaching in a 4 day/week school schedule (thank you Perrydale), and acquiring my first teaching job.

6. I went through 3-4 interviews (this is still pretty good) and was passed around until I landed a teaching gig at my first stop of my education career. I love you "Nutters"! This led to my current gig where I have met some lifelong friends, being able to teach with my spouse along with seeing my kids at school on an everyday basis. 

7. Having kids for some people is easy. They just look at each other and have babies. Our journey was a little more difficult. We made the decision on at least one occasion not to do certain procedures where we could have had twins (or more!). These decisions (or rejections of particular plans) gave us our two daughters. I couldn't imagine life without them.

There are many more. These were some of those life changers though.

Why did I write about this? The primary reason is to show you how good can come from rejection even knowing that those sick moments will come. Life's walls can come crashing in really fast. Just know that eventually someone's rejection (or yours) can change everything in the future. That "everything" will be worth waiting for.