Last week we had our final guest blogger for ‘The Write Life’ series, and now it’s my turn to put in the last word. From herding cats to occupational quandaries of writing, there’s been much wisdom shared over the past two months. I hope you’ve enjoyed the contributions of our guests as much as I have. Many thanks again to all contributors! (Rita, Jo, Lynne, Meredith, Paula, Jeanette, Anusha, Sandra and Nola.) I encourage all my readers to follow up these fantastic authors and explore their work. You’ll be pleased you did.

My ‘Write Life’ lessons are many, but there is a simple one I constantly return to. Timing. Numerous times I’ve sent off a manuscript or short work, only to have my submissions rejected. Repeatedly. This can be frustrating, even discouraging, but eventually it becomes apparent that the works aren’t ready. It either wasn’t their time and/or they needed further development.

Our goals and dreams in life can be much like those submissions. At times potential opportunities repeatedly end with the equivalent of a rejection letter. Desires ranging from publishing a novel to finding that perfect job – or even a life partner – may seem unreachable, allowing frustration and discouragement to take root. We can question many things about our circumstances, or even give up those hopes entirely. Sadly, we can forget that each day spent waiting is another day to flourish in our ‘now’ and be better prepared for whatever the future holds.

Just like a manuscript, time spent reworking and waiting is never wasted. How tempting it can be to try and hurry those processes along. But there might be a much better ending than we could ever imagine, if we just wait for the right opportunity instead of forging ahead with our own plans, no matter what.

Perhaps our hopes are for a dear one to make better life choices. This is one area where I can grow quite impatient, especially when I can see those choices taking someone I love down a road that will guarantee a tonne of hurt and regret to work through later. It can be tempting to lecture and demand, ‘Why can’t you see?’ Yet, we’ve all taken unnecessary turns in life and have to walk our own path. It takes time to develop maturity and perspective. Including our own. It can also be difficult to see our own faults in these situations – a lot like the flaws in a beloved manuscript we’ve penned. Perspective requires much wisdom and grace.

A willingness to live and grow in the right time often yields imperfect yet inspiring stories of hope out of journeys through shadowed valleys of uncertainty. We might have our own ideas on the time frames in which we expect things to happen, but my experience constantly reminds me that life’s a long haul. And timing is everything.