I was robbed of the role of the Wicked Witch of the West in 6th grade. I can’t remember now whether I practiced hard for the part or just had a knack for the stage, but I was good. Damned good. Even 22 years later, ask me to say, “I’ll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too,” and I’ve still got the magic.
I deserved that role. When I didn’t get it—when, in fact, it was handed to the 8th-grade Abigail Fisher, whose tepid performance and passionless cackle served to mock my very existence—I saw then the cruelty of life’s injustices.
I came home that night and cried to my dad, who said there’s nothing wrong with playing the side character (he was a proud nobody in his school production of My Fair Lady), and somehow, someway, I got over it, eventually landing the role of a “100 Grand” chocolate bar in my 8th-grade, Candy Land-based romp, where I played a trampy (but clearly high-end) New Yorker whose accent would later allow me to perfect Marisa Tomei monologues from My Cousin Vinny.
I guess that’s a really long way of saying… it all worked out! Exactly as it was supposed to! Even if it didn’t seem that way at the time.
I think the same can be said of my work woes.
I’ve already blogged about the things I’ve learned over this past year–and I wrote all that back when I still thought I was going to be denied the professional equivalent of the Wicked Witch: the raise.
After eight months of talking to the casting director about the role; after being offered it on three separate occasions, only to see it snatched away at the last-minute; after a really great second audition that had me waiting two months for an answer, after a lot of shit in between, I learned today that I got the part!
It feels amazing!!!! Grit and Grace won! Endurance paid off! Life lessons were learned!
To quote the former Hillary speechwriter, whose remarks would one day be plagiarized by Melania Trump, I have emerged from this experience knowing that “you work hard for what you want in life; that your word is your bond and you do what you say you’re going to do; that you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don’t know them, and even if you don’t agree with them.”
Those are really good lessons to follow! I’m glad I did. I don’t think this particular story would have had a happy ending if I had not, and I am thrilled it does.
Grit and grace won! So did perseverance and tenacity! Hard work and talent! Integrity and kindness!
That’s the road to success. To happiness. To personal and professional growth. To boss bitch-dom.
On that note, #BossBitchesForHillary!