Salvaging a Tough Week

Medically I did well.  GI and ortho issues expertly addressed by the specialists with plans to remedy the problems.  I have not yet entirely followed through, but I will starting today.  Not much else has gone well.  My submission to the NEJM was not selected.  While I understood this to be a long shot, and challenged myself writing it, the rejection still had its sting.  I asked AKSE Presidents for help with an article I am writing on expanding participation.  Ignored.  I'm not really part of their Clique.  The rejection irritates me.  

I had my heart set on going to Florida.  I hesitated too long on purchasing discounted air fare.  The trip is not worth the high transportation costs.  I really wanted to go but not at undue expense.

Made it to Rehoboth.  Rested until a wave damaged my cell phone, which I thought I had adequately protected.  Ruminated over it the rest of the time there.  Went to T-Mobile where they weren't helpful.  Looked at replacements, surveyed options on internet, all within budget.  But to my surprise, my own phone seems to have reset successfully overnight so perhaps a replacement won't be needed.

Tomatoes from garden mostly spoiling on the vine, but the few that I successfully harvest have tasted better than commercial supermarket tomatoes.

Salvaged leftover strawberries.  Trader Joe's did not have small containers of whipped cream, so I made strawberry souffles with the remainder.  Needed more berries, less cornstarch, though I followed the recipe.  A useful future addition to my dessert options, and with pareve ingredients, if I get a new souffle dish, I can make this for a shabbos dessert with a fleishig dinner, though I much prefer dessert cakes.

And prostate acted up, leaving me with urgent laundry and car cleanup.

Irritations and setbacks are inevitable.  Unfortunately, I did not default to corrective resolve or equanimity but to resentment and frustration.  Reset my inner attitude to proceed in a more purposeful way.  I still have the NEJM piece that can be submitted elsewhere.  I really don't need AKSE Presidential feedback to submit my thoughts to a publisher.  Other dates can be picked for the Florida trip or I can still keep my eyes open for low airfare for unsold seats closer to my optimal travel dates. Whipping cream in a small quantity can be purchased someplace other than Trader Joe's.  I can tend the garden more than I have been doing, which may help what is available to me.  I would like to invite shabbos guests, which will allow me not only to have an elegant kitchen but share it.  The phone seems to be correcting itself, but I have ample funds to replace it when I need to.  And doing laundry on short notice isn't that hard, though car seat cleanup may be more challenging, though there are solutions for that too.

So it's not just the setbacks, clustered a bit this week, but a commitment on my part to addressing them in a better way.