"Penelope, Get Over It!"

These are the words my Dad spoke to me this morning as I was still dwelling over a contest that I had lost. This is what I love about my Dad. While you may think his words seemed harsh, that was all it took to snap me back to reality. I realized after he said those words that I was dwelling on something in the past that I had no control over now. I kept beating myself up for not doing x, y, and z and for losing by such a small margin. I was grieving the loss of something I never had. Would it have been great to win? Hell yes! But did I lose anything in the process? Well, about 6 hours of my time and a whole lot of energy, but really no. There were no real consequence, other than my self-pity and moping.

Here is my sob story, in case you are curious…..
So, last week I was doing research on some Champagne that I had in my cellar that I was about to open. (I know I’m a geek, just like to know the stats on what I’m drinking). Anyway, one of those Champagnes was G.H. Mumm (NV Cordon Rouge). As I was perusing their website I came across a photo contest they had going on. Basically, “set the scene and think of what is for you “a stunning dinner to celebrate the world’s beauty.” Well, I happen to think Lake Calhoun in the summer time is quite beautiful and happens to be across the street from me. I also, had a bottle of Mumm in the fridge and plenty of my favorite snacks (cheese, crackers, grapes, strawberries, and salami) - which for me constitute the perfect meal. So, off I went with my camera and set up my perfect lake view picnic on a perfect sunny day with the Minneapolis skyline in the background.




Well, I entered on Friday, July 2 and it took until Saturday morning, July 3, for my photo to post to the site. Not a big deal, other than it was a holiday weekend and the contest ended at 6 p.m. on Sunday, July 4.

Feeling confident, I posted a request for votes on my facebook page and figured I could easily get the 30 votes I needed; especially given I have over 200 facebook friends. Well, I was wrong. I only ended up getting 26 votes. I made a couple frantic calls on Sun. to get some last-minute votes and I neglected to call a few people who I didn’t think had internet access over the weekend (which I later found out they did – 6 votes right there! Ugh – kick, kick.). Anyway….. There were about 50 photos, and I’m telling you they were not that good; I really thought mine had a shot of winning. The contest takes the top 10 photos based on votes. I was #11! I had 26 votes and #10 had 27 votes! This is where my self loathing came into play. I was really upset and disappointed for the next 24 hours (at least). Admittedly, I still get a little mad thinking about it.

What did I lose out on you ask? Not just a t-shirt my friend. The top 2 winners (picked by a jury that evaluates the top 10 photos) get to attend the 4th Mumm Explorer Experience dinner in the Gobi Desert, China for a 4 day trip in September. (Including: airfare, transportation, camel lodge accommodation, catering during the expedition, and a Mumm Explorer Experience Expedition Kit). The rest of the 8 get a bottle of Mumm Champagne. I had myself so psyched up to win the trip (or at least the bottle of Champagne). I never win anything and I really thought this was my chance.

Okay, I've wasted enough energy dwelling on the people I should've called and those darn people that didn't take 3 minutes to vote for me. I’m going to chalk this up to yet another life lesson on not sweating the small stuff. If there is nothing you can do to improve your situation then you best just get over it and take what you learned and move on. Bigger and better experiences await; there is no sense dwelling on the past. This is always a good thing to be reminded of.

Even now as I think about riding a camel in China, I hear my Dad saying, “Penelope, get over it!”