The Invincible Summer
“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.
And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.”
Albert Camus
I had to channel my “invincible summer” in recent months, as there have been days when it would not stop raining. Tough times don’t last, but sunlight has not been abundant.
If a person has never been down, then how will they recognize happiness? How will they realize that life is lived in moments? Periods of amazing happenings juxtaposed with days of despair. That’s a fair summation of our existence.
I find solace in my creative spirit and it also lets me escape into fictional worlds spun from my own imagination. Every time there’s a whisper from within asking “Is it worth it?,” I receive validation and justification from sources I wouldn’t have considered.
Last weekend, I won fourteen awards at a writer’s conference. Then, a client’s audiobook went live, and my mother (after reading ‘the absence of years’) told me “You are a very talented writer.” All of those were reaffirmations that I’m on the right path.
The journey is never easy, and there are pitfalls ahead, naysayers carrying signs that read “You’ll never make it,” and the ever-present phantom of insecurity. It’s somewhat daunting.
But then, someone will message me that they loved a particular tale, or they saved a nice bottle of wine to pair with one of my novels, and the darkness in my soul recedes, chased away by the invincible light within, which gains energy from the world.
Keep on pushing.
