An Unintended Consequence of Acting Out of Anger
And a Perk that Came Out It
Last night I had one of those realizations that hits you like … choose your idiom: a ton of bricks, a lightning bolt, anyone in those old V-8 commercials. You really can louse things up when you act in anger.
The fall of 2021, I had covid that was serious enough to warrant a 10-day hospital stay. Thankfully, I had no long-term effects and am more than fully recovered. While I was sick, however, I was dealing with the worst client I’ve ever had. His was a big project, creating a coffee table book that meshed his poetry with artwork from artists all over the world. He was trying to rush it to market for Christmas, right in the middle of the supply chain logjam. What was his emergency became my emergency — and I am certain the stress of working with him played no small part in depleting my immune system.
Client X didn’t take the news that I was sick very well — and phoned me a half-dozen times while I was in the hospital. He took the news that I was quitting his project even more badly — and phoned me another half-dozen times to tell me off.
The first thing I did when I had the energy to log back onto my computer was to delete every shred of Client X’s project. Every email. Every document. Every image. Every upload to Google Drive. Every shred of evidence I had ever worked on it.
And then, more than a year later, I had reason to want to show Client X’s project to a prospective client last night, because it was very similar to the prospective client’s project and was a good reflection of my skill.
OOOOOPS.
I looked high and low, hoping somewhere to find a PDF hanging out that I’d forgotten to delete. Damn, was I thorough! Of course, I had other work I could share with the prospect, but nothing quite as on point as Client X’s book.
Please let this be a cautionary tale for you. Acting in anger can have unintended consequences. If you’re feeling like you’ve got to get rid of it this instant, maybe put it in a box (or on a jump drive that you shove in the back of a drawer). Later, when you’re not so emotional, you can decide whether to keep it or chuck it.
One pretty cool thing did come of my frantic search for Client X’s book: I came across the list below. Turns out, it’s the 2015 PopSugar.com Reading Challenge. I didn’t take the challenge back then, but I might just dive into it now, eight years later.
1. A book with more than 500 pages
2. A classic romance
3. A book that became a movie
4. A book published this year
5. A book with a number in the title
6. A book written by someone under 30
7. A book with nonhuman characters
8. A funny book
9. A book by a female author
10. A mystery or thriller
11. A book with a one-word title
12. A book of short stories
13. A book set in a different country
14. A nonfiction book
15. A popular author’s first book
16. A book from an author you love that you haven’t read yet
17. A book a friend recommended
18. A Pulitzer Prize-winning book
19. A book based on a true story
20. A book at the bottom of your “to read” list
21. A book your mom loves/d
22. A book that scares you
23. A book written more than 100 years ago
24. A book you choose based entirely on its cover
25. A book you were supposed to read in school but didn’t
26. A memoir
27. A book you can finish in one day
28. A book with antonyms in the title
29. A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit
30. A book that was published the year you were born
31. A book with bad reviews
32. A trilogy
33. A book from your childhood
34. A book with a love triangle
35. A book set in high school
36. A book set in the future
37. A book with a color in the title
38. A book that makes you cry
39. A book with magic
40. A graphic novel
41. A book by an author you’ve never read before
42. A book you own but have never read
43. A book that takes place in your hometown
44. A book that was originally written in a different language
45. A book set during the Christmas season
46. A book written by an author who has the same initials as you
47. A play
48. A banned book
49. A book based on/turned into a TV show
50. A book you started but never finished
Takeaways: Don’t throw stuff away when you’re angry, and happy reading!
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Laura Orsini is an artist, author, speaker, consultant, and creator of Fairy Positive, an antidote to the worries of the world. This image and Laura’s other collage art is available for purchase on her website: FairyPositive.com. Find and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
