The Plants stay Green

I am writing a book.It's a big dream of mine. I'm preparing an anthology of all the poems I've written and a whole new set included (over 200!)I think I will only begin to write about writing after 5 years of actually writing. And no, this post isn't exactly about the fancy little book I'm working on (as much as I'd like it to be)Today, I want to write about one of the few things that terrify me most.I spent the rainy Thursday holiday cutting out printed poems and pasting them on walls with my friend. I may or may not have given him the legal advice to take a step in the well-known field of love. Again, I may or may not have teased him for being awfully lonely and depressed all the time (You're still my man, Daniel!)We went on and on in circles until he finally blurted out:I don't like to be rejected.It seemed funny at first. I gave him a famous speech by a dead king about how no one achieves anything by choosing to be so terrified by the idea (and the actual act) of taking risks. I called my friend a coward and ate all his food while he disturbed the peace with Taylor Swift's Red on full blast.It was only after coming home that I realized the horrible truth:No one loves rejection. Not even the King with all his wise words.Rejection puts us in an uncomfortable place. It makes us question why we even tried. It causes doubts to resurface. It shakes the roots of our worth and leaves us thinking "never again."I have barely one week to finish up with my manuscript and submit it to my editor.And truth is, I'm terrified. I don't know if my content is any good. I've read heart breaking reviews about books that I thought were absolutely marvelous. I can't stop thinking about all the what ifs.What if no one reads my book? It'll be the only dusty one on a shelf full of books, dirt of all the hard years settled on it. What if people don't understand my words? What if what if what if-All these what if moments come together to form an even greater moment (which is often unspoken, hence, mistaken to be absent):What if I'm rejected?Well, and so what? You asked her out on a date. She said no. And so what? You wrote the book. The pages were ripped and rolled into paper balls. And so what? You hit the gym and didn't lose the weight? And so what?Here's the thing: the sky doesn't fall when we fail- for an infinite number of times. The earth doesn't lose its direction in rotating when we slip and fall.The flowers stay green. Your president wakes up your president. Your streets are paved the same and salt, most definitely, tastes like salt.The only ever significant change that occurs takes place in you.Growth.There's growth in falling. You not only learn to rise but also learn that you are capable of rising. You come to a full understanding that falling is inevitable. It happens to all of us.What matters is we did it. We took a step where we couldn't see. We fell. We're rising. And we're starting again.So you ask yourself why fear should steer the wheel while you have the map in your hands.Take your rightful place and buckle up. Throw your head back and drive all the way for the time of your life- whether you fail or nah.The process will teach you. The process will change you. And that alone, is enough.