I heard a statement a couple of weeks ago that I've been savoring ever since.

I want you to taste it.

A couple of weeks ago, my eldest daughter--who is about to graduate from 8th grade- had an audition for the highschool Dance Team. She had been warned not to try out, as the dance team is so competitive that out of 2000 students, there are only seven on the team. But, my daughter loves the performing arts. Besides four of her friends were going to audition--if they all made the team, this would give them a group to belong to at the big, scary highschool..

Now, my daughter and her four friends had performed in the same musicals, taken the same dance classes, and done the same dance performances. My daughter had been preparing for this audition for a month, choreographing her own piece and even helping one of her friends--a girl who had decided last minute to do this audition thing and wasn't quite sure what she should perform. Prejudice aside, they were great dancers. I was certain that they'd either all make it--or none of them would.

I was wrong. Four of them made the team: the girl my daughter choreographed a dance for....and the three others.

I was sure it was a joke. I felt like I'd been boxed in a tiny, airless room. How could this be?
When I told my husband, and he asked all the burning questions-- did she trip? Was her dance bad? Were the judges asleep?--he sighed, "This is a great opportunity."
What? No matter how I looked at it, I didn't see the lights.
"Once she learns to accept a rejection which has no logic to it,' he explained. "She's free."

I could stop this story here--it was at that point that I stopped suffocating in my small dark box where neon signs flashed bitter thoughts: wrong race? wrong, size? wrong shape? wrong human being?

It was at that point I felt the window of freedom open.

We are conditioned to seek approval-- from friends, teachers, agents, publishers. In fact, sometimes, we're so busy listening, we don't hear the beating of our hearts. This isn't to say that other people's comments are invalid, but that it's important to believe in your work and in yourself--regardless of what the "authorities" say.

Like I said, I could stop the story here--but the story didn't end here.

From my new--free--point of view, I sent an e-mail to the Dance Team teacher, asking her to please meet with my daughter and explain how the judges had come to their decision.. At first, she was irritated...but, then, the unbelievable: she asked to meet my daughter ...for another audition. I hadn't been the only person expressing surprise: the Dance Captain, and several current team members had also insisted something must have gone wrong.

My daughter re-auditioned. My daughter made the team.

So, I say to you. Don't worry that your story isn't the flavor of the month , that it's not what agents are looking for these days. Believe in yourself. Believe in your story. And when you're rejected--open the window of freedom, take a deep breath-- and savor it. Then, re-submit your work . Because you deserve to make the team.