“Rejection is the sand in the oyster, the irritant that ultimately produces the pearl.” ~Burke Wilkinson
The thing is not every oyster irritated by sand will make a pearl and not all pearls are the same.
The optimist in me understands the nature of irritants. Irritants are challenges to be met; changes to my world that I might not voluntarily make but which can lead to my growth and expansion. Opportunities can be created by irritants.
The Skeptic in me knows that one doesn’t always get pearls. Sometimes the most one can get is to get rid of the irritant; just be done with it instead of continuing the irritation. Irritants can be dealt with in various ways; some of those ways may indeed result in pearls. The Cynic is wary of pearls. But then all I’m left with is the irritant without the optimistic joy of possibilities and pearls.
I suppose the issue is that when I’m feeling cynical, I don’t care about pearls; I’m wrapped in the horror of the sand. The downside of that thinking is that maybe I miss the opportunity to work on my pearl making.