Lessons in Letting Go, Part Two

Follow this link to read last week’s Sunday Story, Lessons in Letting Go, Part One.

One hotel chain has two locations in Fernandina Beach. I called to ensure I was making my online reservation for the one in downtown Fernandina near the bay. Assured I was, I selected my room, paid up front, and went on with life.

On the afternoon before the Amelia Island Book Festival, I arrived to claim my room. No reservation. I called the number on my confirmation and learned it was the other hotel where I absolutely did not want to stay. They would not cancel my reservation and refund my payment even though it was part of the same hotel chain.

I needed a room for the night, so what should I do? Let go, and stay at the hotel that had my reservation even though it wasn’t where I wanted to be? My mom’s saying rang in my ears, “Are you going to cut off your nose to spite your face?” Apparently so. I reserved a second room, knowing I’d have to pay for both. I refused to give that uncooperative manager the satisfaction of winning.

I asked for a manager, same story. For twenty minutes, I argued with the manager who wouldn’t budge. I could cancel my reservation, but there would be no refund. I was livid, and when I get really mad, I cry. I was not going to show this guy a hint of weakness, so I hung up.

Then, I called the hotel honors program I’ve belonged to for decades and went up the hierarchy with them. I finally talked to someone who was compassionate and understood I had been given incorrect information.

He promised to contact the local hotel and see what he could do, but if they wouldn’t cooperate, he could not resolve the situation for several days.

I felt so wound up. I couldn’t settle down. I walked around the historic downtown area, and it started raining, hard. Later, I went across the street to grab a meal to go and couldn’t get anyone to wait on me. I couldn’t sleep. The next morning, I had huge bags under my eyes, and I felt drained.

That day, I was to meet my literary hero, Jeannette Walls author of The Glass Castle, and I felt like a wrung-out dishrag. I had some breakfast and packed up to go to the festival. Then, I saw water leaking from my shoulder bag where I had the three books I wanted Jeannette Walls to sign. The books were wet, even my pristine first edition hardback a friend gave me years ago because she knew how much I loved this author.

Time for a talking to. Okay, Patricia, you have wanted to meet this author for fifteen years. So what if you paid for two rooms? You had too much fight in you to let go. You thought you were right, but you can’t do anything about it now. Get over it and go have a good time.

Thankfully, I was able to shake off the previous twelve hours. Meeting Jeannette Walls, talking with her, hearing her speak, and having her sign my soggy books made it one of my best days ever.

I often have the same battle with writing. I refuse to let go of a piece when it’s not working. I bang my head against the proverbial wall until I’m bloody. I try different approaches. I write and rewrite. I come at it from this direction and then from another, and still, nothing works.

It’s only when I remember the spiritual nature of writing (and life) do I realize, now might not be the time to write this story. Then, it’s easier for me to let go, relax, and write something else.

How about you? What do you do when you’re wrestling with a story? Do you let go and move on to something else, or do you battle through to the end? Tell me about your experience in the comments section below.

Remember always: The only way to do this wrong is to not do it at all!

Until next time, happy writing!

Proscript: Several days later, the hotel messaged me and said they had been able to rent my room, so I would not be charged. By that time, I had let go, and what they did or did not do no longer mattered.