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Katrina's avatar

Really, really appreciated this post; that it's okay to grieve, to not pom-pom your way through disappointment with toxic positivity. Thank you for writing this.

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Leah Konen's avatar

So glad it connected with you ❤️

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Andromeda Romano-Lax's avatar

Excellent post! I especially agreed with this:

“What we said, what we learned, what we unlocked within ourselves; it matters.”

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Leah Konen's avatar

Thank you!

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Brijana Prooker's avatar

“We demand positivity, about everything from cancelled plans to cancer.”

This line got me. I’ve been grieving and searching for a missing cat for over three months, a feral cat who chose me and the house cat life, then disappeared. Almost every day, there’s a sighting that isn’t him, and I have to thank the person who reached out to give me (false) hope with every fiber of my being, reassure them that their kindness makes me believe it’s possible that some other caring person will help find my boy one day, that their good deed gives me faith in humanity. And my thank yous are (wholeheartedly!) genuine. Kind people who are still searching along with me for my boy rather than telling me to give up and stop being so damn despondent are literally keeping me going. But garnering the strength to be positive when my heart is breaking and my body is failing (hello autoimmune disease triggered by stress) is really, really HARD. So thank you for writing this because I really needed to read it.

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Leah Konen's avatar

Brijana I am so so sorry about your cat. That is so hard. I am glad people are giving you hope but also understand that being despondent is natural sometimes. Thinking of you always ❤️❤️❤️

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Brijana Prooker's avatar

❤️❤️❤️

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Jessica Warner's avatar

I suppose it helps if you have in mind what you want, regardless of the outcome. For one story I'm working on, what I want in the end is to put it out into the world, and even if it never gets traditionally published, even if I never get a single cent from it, if it is somewhere out there in the world where someone can find it, I will have accomplished what I wanted. In that way, if I work hard enough and just get it finished and then put out there in some fashion, it is impossible to fail. I suppose that won't alleviate the disappointment that I didn't get what I originally wanted, but it's more of a Plan B, Plan C... Plan Z?

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Leah Konen's avatar

Yes, I love that perspective! Different projects are going to have different goals, for sure.

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Michael Konen's avatar

As always, very well said. Your perspective on all things is always very enlightening.

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Christopher Manson's avatar

1. I hope your current book LAST ROOM ON THE LEFT doesn't fall into the "f------" category because I loved it and spread the word to my seven (roughly) subscribers.

2. I appreciate your brevity. Too many Stackers post novel-length stuff and who the heck has the time? (Though I would happily move yours to the top of the queue.)

3. My sweet Maddison died last week, and I feel your heartache. She was 14 (or so she claimed) and her sister Lilly died about three years ago. She hung on a long time, even after her legs gave out. She had a great life and loved a lot in her time. I'm glad I took a gazillion photos of her (I did a post recently if you wish to seek it out - I promise it's short :)... )

Love,

Christopher

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Leah Konen's avatar

Thank you so much and I’m so sorry about your pups ❤️

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