Survivor-woman? Not! by Rhonda Rhea

Survivor-woman? Not!

Have you ever seen that “Survivorman” show? The expert survivor-guy gets dropped into some kind of hostile environment and has to “survive” his way through it to get to his pick up spot a week or so later. He has to beat off bears, jaguars and a vicious foot fungus or two. Gross. For food he usually ends up digging up a tasty mound of termites or slapping a pile of slugs between a couple of exotic cattails. A sluggie-hoagie? Totally NOT my idea of lunch.

Let me just tell you that I’m about as far from a survivor-girl as you can get. I won’t even taste the garnish when I’m at a nice restaurant—even if there’s fruit on top. I think about the most “survivor-esque” thing I’ve been known to do is to use my tracking skills to hunt down the stash of Oreos—while my teenagers are still in the house. Now that’s risky, man.

Everyone involved in the writing life knows there are some risks. We put ourselves out there in the reading wilderness, so to speak, every time we offer an editor an article or send in a book manuscript. Rejection might not be as painful as being eaten by a jaguar but it rivals a foot fungus, for sure.

There are foolish risks we can take in this life. And then there are the worthwhile risks that present the challenges that make life exciting—the kind of risks that can result in holding a book in your hands that you know can touch a heart…or tickle a funny bone…or one God can use to change a life. High Heels in High Places: Walking Worthy in Way Cute Shoes is my fifth book and is just hitting the shelves. I must say, it’s one of those “heart of my heart” kinds of projects. There’s hardly anything sweeter than imagining it touching souls. Not even the last Oreo.

So let me encourage you by saying it’s okay to put yourself out there and take a risk or two now and then. We don’t have to merely survive. We can thrive. Hey, one of these days I might even decide to take a risk and try that garnish stuff.

I can’t get a foot fungus from that, can I?