I Love Going On Your Dates

A love letter from the past, on my birthday

Today is my birthday, and yesterday I received a very lovely early birthday present -a kind rejection note from an editor on an essay I submitted in December of 2022. This may not sound like a gift, but if you’re a writer who submits to various publications, you know how rare it is to actually hear anything back. Editors are very busy!

When we writers do hear back, it’s often a form letter. But even a slightly personalized letter from an editor is so unusual. It really brings a smile to my face. And since that publication does not permit simultaneous submissions — which is to say, you are expected to only submit to this publication and wait to submit it elsewhere until you hear a yes or no — I had held off on publishing it anywhere else.

Reading this essay was like opening a time capsule. It is so haunting, so lonely, meditative, and sad. My own life has changed so much in the past ten months. I am full of gratitude for the way things have evolved, for the kindness I’ve experienced, for the things I’ve learned, for my sobriety, for all of you.

I am grateful to that editor for responding. They apologized for the delay in reply, but they were right on time!