Rejection #3

As you may or may not know, this blog was named 300 rejections as a chronicle of my writing pursuits. I figured the more rejections I got the better because it meant I was writing more.

I am writing the most I've ever written in my entire life, but have submitted very little work of late.

Last week I submitted a short piece to Huffington Post about my grandfather in honor of Grandparents Day, which is today.

My piece wasn't selected, so I get to add it to my list of rejections and share what I wrote here.

The maximum word count was 250, so it's short. I could go on and on about this man. But the following is what I wrote for HuffPost's call for submissions:

At 93, my grandfather, M.L. Rupard has redefined himself in his senior years. He inspires me to see aging as an adventure and full of possibility. In his late eighties, this man who retired from a facilities position at the local university, took up typing. He sat at his computer daily working his fingers closer to his 40 word per minute goal.

He faces adversity with grace. When he wakes up from a flashback from a difficult period in his life, he recites poetry to soothe him back to sleep.

Grandpa has had a life-long passion for horses. He visits his friends' stable every evening to feed their horses and serves as an advisor when issues arise.

Until my grandmother's recent death, Grandpa visited her three times a day to ensure that she was receiving the care he wanted her to have and feed her at meal times.

Grandpa demonstrates that age is simply a number. He teaches me that as long as you pursue your interests—at any age—your life can remain fulfilling and you can maintain your vitality.

His storytelling is my favorite of his qualities. He gets so tickled by the story he's trying to tell that he has to pause to collect himself. His eyes crinkle shut. He holds his breath. When he's ready to resume, his eyes open, his smile widens, and he exhales loudly. This pattern occurs repeatedly before he finishes the story. Watching him laugh so hard is one of my deepest joys.