Second is Best?
First is the worst, second is the best, third is the one with the treasure chest.
I believe that's the rhyme that children chant to their friends after falling short of first place in a game. At least, that's what I'd sing to my friends after losing a round of a board game, or suffering defeat in a neighborhood foot race. The words likely escaped my immature lips often, as I was never particularly strategic or athletic as a child.
As an adult, second place needs no irritating chant.
Earlier this year, without my knowing, my editor at The Connection Newspapers, submitted a few of my eligible 2016 articles to the Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association (MDDC) contest. My article, "Biking 192 Miles for Cancer Research" won second prize in the "Feature Story: Profile" category. The article is online at this URL: http://www.connectionnewspaper...
While, of course, I would have preferred first place, this "blue bird" (a sales person's slang for something unexpected) has given me some positive perspective. I certainly never expected to win any kind of recognition for any of my recent freelance work. On top of that, I also never could have imagined that this particular article would have ever garnered any attention whatsoever. I'm learning that we never know when we're at our best. A view of anything can be unique for each set of eyes that lay upon it.
Ideally, I'll remember this welcome surprise when the daily grind feels too bland, or, when I feel that my professional efforts go unseen or unappreciated. It's possible that, as I churn out both the copy I love and the writing that just needs to get done, I could be working toward something great without even having a target.
Next year, I hope it's first place. And beyond that, other achievements not yet even on my radar.
I emailed my editor to thank him – not only for submitting my writing, but for the six years of opportunities he's given to me, a writer he knows primarily through short email exchanges and, at times, overly-verbose Word Document drafts of articles in the making. I ended my gram of gratitude by asking what I had to do in order to achieve First Place next time.
His three-word email response: Write, write, write.
And, I will.
