“I feel that you are not professionally established as of this time.”

And so the hammer falls. No WEVA Expo on August, No Florida in January. No Cirque de Soleil. No Mickey Mouse.

Life lesson #1: You can’t always get what you want.
In retrospect, the last year has been tremendous, the awards, the Top 25 thingie and much success with the bookings. It’s easy to forget all these when one disappointment happens. But I shan’t. It’s a nice reality check even. Give me the requisite three days of sulking and I’ll be alright.

Life lesson #2: There’s no shame in denial
Perhaps the greatest question one has to answer after a denial is - why me? What makes another person so special that he’s granted a US Visa and what makes me scum of the earth to get a denial? We’ll never know. But I seek refuge in the fact that half of it is in the luck of the draw - of who the consul is, if she had good coffee that morning or a lousy date the night before. Or perhaps it’s what I said or what I didn’t say.  I’m just glad I didn’t confuse my Ps and Fs.

A denial doesn’t make me scum (neither the consul). It’s just the way it is. And I’m not lesser a person because of it.

Life lesson#3: There will always be second chances.
Life goes on. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and all that jazz. I’ll take my chances again come November.

:)