By Angelika Romero, Staff Writer, Emerson College
Note: All characters, events, and situations are fictitious.
I.
Some days are truly unbearable.
What is it about this particular week that just keeps getting worse and worse, like a mild cough in the chest that eventually bursts into a full-blown flu?
I don’t think that my heart can stand any more rejection.
Two days ago, I saw him with her. And even though I had not expected to see him with her, by that same afternoon, nothing had really mattered to me anymore.
I saw them together holding hands by the frozen pond in the Commons. They sat on the same bench that he and I used to sit on in the fall when the weather wasn’t too bad and I could wear open-toed shoes.
He made me laugh as we people-watched—as if we had zero assignments to turn in, no meetings to attend, and as if it were summer all over again. It’s funny how someone can make you feel as though time is standing still, and how that same person can also make you feel as though time is running against you.
She was a redhead. He had always said that he disliked redheads, but now that redhead was kissing his lips and hugging his wide arms. Her body traced the shadow of his as if searching for shelter.
I don't think he knew that I was there watching them. Watching them when, an hour and a half ago, he had told me that he had to work on a project. I guess he had never specified what kind of project.
II.
The letter in the mailbox came a day late but it still had my worst fear written all over it.
“Dear Ms. Romero,
We regret to inform you that you have not been accepted into the ABC News Internship Program in Washington, D.C. this summer. Please consider reapplying again next summer.”
I always laugh when people tell me to reapply for anything.
There is something subtly demeaning about reapplying, trying it again, or giving it another shot, because the process just reminds you how you weren’t good enough the first time around.
Well, at least according to them you weren’t. Them, the all-encompassing evil of the earth who try to categorize individuals and place them into the workforce. (Also, Them, the ones who make disgustingly-flavored protein bars and who invented the modern-day tampon).
This exaggerated Them did not know that I crawled into bed, refusing to get up, after I had read their rejection letter all within the same week that I had discovered that my boyfriend was cheating on me.
Nemo, the wild and free blizzard, came knocking on my door that night. Even if I wanted to get out of bed, the snow-covered streets of Boston were no place for me to find a release.
Why did it seem that the world had collapsed on top of me?
III.
Noelle texted me at 1 PM the day after the blizzard. “Get up. Life is waiting for you outside,” her text said. Before I had started dating my dumb boyfriend, Noelle had been the one person whom I could count on for support.
Admittedly, I lost contact with her after freshman year. But each time that we bumped into each other at the dining hall and had an improvised dinner-date, I was reminded of how valuable her friendship was to me.
She must have heard through the grapevine what had happened. After all, our college resembled a high school in that rumors spread like wildfire in 0.3 seconds.
“Don’t ignore me and call me ASAP.”
She kept bombarding me with messages. After giving it some thought, we ended up going to the Thinking Cup for an early dinner.
“Look. Don’t get yourself too wrapped up in what happened,” she said as she sipped her chai tea latte.
“That’s easier said than done,” I whined, indulging in a huge slice of chocolate cake because I deserved it.
She leaned in closer. She said, “The way to keep yourself from getting all worked up over a rejection is to make it your best friend, keeping in mind the three Rs.”
I was confused. “What three Rs?”
“Release, reflection, and revitalization,” she said.
Release. Reflection. Revitalization. Those three words swam in my head for the rest of the afternoon. In attempting to find their meaning and application, I came up with my personal three-step guide to befriending rejection.
Step 1: Release. Whenever running low on energy, feeling down or depressed, or simply in need of releasing some negative energy from your life, find an activity or hobby—anything that can keep your mind preoccupied and away from the cause of your tension. Whether writing, drawing, singing, or dancing with a hula-hoop, if it makes you feel better, stick to it.
Step 2: Reflection. A lot of times, we quickly disregard what’s bothering us for fear of getting to the core of the real problem. The best way to avoid creating a vicious cycle of stress is to think hard and deeply about what exactly is the cause of your troubles. Take the necessary time to reflect on why you feel the way that you do, how the situation could have turned out to be positive, and what actions led you to where you are now.
Step 3: Revitalization. Use your newly-acquired knowledge about yourself to reenergize your life. Make decisions that will lead you to fulfill both your short-term and long-term goals. Bring dynamism to a lifestyle that is filled with new projects, plenty of fun, and people who are worth it overall. Get rid of anyone or anything that does not help you become the person whom you want to be.
Most importantly, keep the spontaneity in your daily life by realizing that every single day counts and that it's not worth it to waste your time by dwelling on all of the rejection that comes with being alive.
Angelika Romero is a Journalism major/ Publishing minor at Emerson College. She was born in 1992 and is from Nicaragua. Her poetry has been published in several publications such as Black Swan and Writer's Block Anthology. She is fluent in Spanish and Sarcasm.
Note: All characters, events, and situations are fictitious.
I.
Some days are truly unbearable.
What is it about this particular week that just keeps getting worse and worse, like a mild cough in the chest that eventually bursts into a full-blown flu?
I don’t think that my heart can stand any more rejection.
Two days ago, I saw him with her. And even though I had not expected to see him with her, by that same afternoon, nothing had really mattered to me anymore.
I saw them together holding hands by the frozen pond in the Commons. They sat on the same bench that he and I used to sit on in the fall when the weather wasn’t too bad and I could wear open-toed shoes.
He made me laugh as we people-watched—as if we had zero assignments to turn in, no meetings to attend, and as if it were summer all over again. It’s funny how someone can make you feel as though time is standing still, and how that same person can also make you feel as though time is running against you.
She was a redhead. He had always said that he disliked redheads, but now that redhead was kissing his lips and hugging his wide arms. Her body traced the shadow of his as if searching for shelter.
I don't think he knew that I was there watching them. Watching them when, an hour and a half ago, he had told me that he had to work on a project. I guess he had never specified what kind of project.
II.
The letter in the mailbox came a day late but it still had my worst fear written all over it.
“Dear Ms. Romero,
We regret to inform you that you have not been accepted into the ABC News Internship Program in Washington, D.C. this summer. Please consider reapplying again next summer.”
I always laugh when people tell me to reapply for anything.
There is something subtly demeaning about reapplying, trying it again, or giving it another shot, because the process just reminds you how you weren’t good enough the first time around.
Well, at least according to them you weren’t. Them, the all-encompassing evil of the earth who try to categorize individuals and place them into the workforce. (Also, Them, the ones who make disgustingly-flavored protein bars and who invented the modern-day tampon).
This exaggerated Them did not know that I crawled into bed, refusing to get up, after I had read their rejection letter all within the same week that I had discovered that my boyfriend was cheating on me.
Nemo, the wild and free blizzard, came knocking on my door that night. Even if I wanted to get out of bed, the snow-covered streets of Boston were no place for me to find a release.
Why did it seem that the world had collapsed on top of me?
III.
Noelle texted me at 1 PM the day after the blizzard. “Get up. Life is waiting for you outside,” her text said. Before I had started dating my dumb boyfriend, Noelle had been the one person whom I could count on for support.
Admittedly, I lost contact with her after freshman year. But each time that we bumped into each other at the dining hall and had an improvised dinner-date, I was reminded of how valuable her friendship was to me.
She must have heard through the grapevine what had happened. After all, our college resembled a high school in that rumors spread like wildfire in 0.3 seconds.
“Don’t ignore me and call me ASAP.”
She kept bombarding me with messages. After giving it some thought, we ended up going to the Thinking Cup for an early dinner.
“Look. Don’t get yourself too wrapped up in what happened,” she said as she sipped her chai tea latte.
“That’s easier said than done,” I whined, indulging in a huge slice of chocolate cake because I deserved it.
She leaned in closer. She said, “The way to keep yourself from getting all worked up over a rejection is to make it your best friend, keeping in mind the three Rs.”
I was confused. “What three Rs?”
“Release, reflection, and revitalization,” she said.
Release. Reflection. Revitalization. Those three words swam in my head for the rest of the afternoon. In attempting to find their meaning and application, I came up with my personal three-step guide to befriending rejection.
Step 1: Release. Whenever running low on energy, feeling down or depressed, or simply in need of releasing some negative energy from your life, find an activity or hobby—anything that can keep your mind preoccupied and away from the cause of your tension. Whether writing, drawing, singing, or dancing with a hula-hoop, if it makes you feel better, stick to it.
Step 2: Reflection. A lot of times, we quickly disregard what’s bothering us for fear of getting to the core of the real problem. The best way to avoid creating a vicious cycle of stress is to think hard and deeply about what exactly is the cause of your troubles. Take the necessary time to reflect on why you feel the way that you do, how the situation could have turned out to be positive, and what actions led you to where you are now.
Step 3: Revitalization. Use your newly-acquired knowledge about yourself to reenergize your life. Make decisions that will lead you to fulfill both your short-term and long-term goals. Bring dynamism to a lifestyle that is filled with new projects, plenty of fun, and people who are worth it overall. Get rid of anyone or anything that does not help you become the person whom you want to be.
Most importantly, keep the spontaneity in your daily life by realizing that every single day counts and that it's not worth it to waste your time by dwelling on all of the rejection that comes with being alive.
Angelika Romero is a Journalism major/ Publishing minor at Emerson College. She was born in 1992 and is from Nicaragua. Her poetry has been published in several publications such as Black Swan and Writer's Block Anthology. She is fluent in Spanish and Sarcasm.