To friends and fellow authors who carry their dream like a talisman, I saw a moment in history this weekend. It could be a history for any of us.
I captured the video of a woman who did the work every day, who dared to aspire and who saw her work transport her beyond the wildest dreams. Jena Antonucci is the first woman trainer ever to win a Triple Crown race.
Look at the raw emotion in the video and think of yourselves. Imagine the feeling as your eyes capture ascent to your one moment in time.
Your chest swells and your knees weaken. You try to make time stop and you hold your breath because it seems unreal. You experience a rush so intense you think you might expire. But you live it like you’ve never lived before.
“You have to work your butt off to do this. Sure, it’s a little harder for a woman but dig deeper, work harder. Winning the Belmont Stakes wasn’t atop my list of things to do but if you do things right, good things will happen.”
-Jena Antonucci
Jena Antonucci made no bravado claims. As writers, we spend our time writing and developing our craft much like the trainer who lays out a plan for her charge and works that plan. The dream of our publishing. The dream of author success. Those are our dreams.
Jena Antonucci labored with love in a field of endeavor where only men have succeeded – until now. She knew the odds – like us. She knew the work – like us. She made her own way – and that is what we will do.
We will never back down from our work and what we have set our course to achieve. While no place is assured us, we will make our own table and take our place.
