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Wonder Wednesday: Determination

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I was upset to find out I had a useless guitar that I was trying to sell and spent much time wondering how to get rid of it. The neck was too twisted to be fixed with just a truss rod adjustment, which meant it couldn't keep tuned. It was worth $200 new, and repair would've cost more than that.

So, I was bummed. I'm the anxious type and I'm also a planner. My nicely laid plan had just exploded. I was freaking out that I was stuck with a piece of junk, which also happened to be a rather large reminder of the past; a past I'd mostly rather forget.

Back to the drawing board, I went.

It was useless for conventional music, but there was that artist I saw a while back that made instruments from junk. I started searching for junk music players. As I was browsing, I thought about Steampunk Ottawa and posted there. There was some vague interest, but it was tepid.

Then I thought what about selling it for parts? I edited the ad, reduced the price, and got a number of responses. The guitar has sold and I'm happy. I feel as if a weight has been lifted. I had no idea it was upsetting me so much.

Soon I'll buy a Squier Mini Strat in Torino Red. I almost have the cash for it. Then I can play Rocksmith and make progress because I will play the right notes. The only thing I'm not looking forward to is building fingertip calluses.

Anyway, the point is that I could have just given up and donated it. The thought crossed my mind. Instead, I started over and found another path. It ultimately led to success.

It's an important lesson that can apply to writing. In my case, my novel was so full of spirituality, it was deep and heavy. I've taken out 90% of that to make it more relatable and more fun.

Speaking of the novel, I'll get back to it tomorrow. I finally got into a Paint Nite, so I'll be painting cherry blossoms tonight. I've been trying to get into a cherry blossom one for about a year, but they're always sold out. I got a deal when I signed up and ironically one of the other Paint Nites has changed their painting to a cherry blossom one that is different than tonight's. Funny how things work out sometimes.

So despite feeling slightly sniffly, I'm going to paint with wild abandon and hopefully, it will turn out okay. Then I just have to figure out how to get it home without it getting paint on Pixie's seat.

Ciao,
R~

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