This is not just an “art lesson.” It’s a life lesson, one that I think a certain group of people really require right now. Sometimes, the load is more than you can bear… but you have to, because people you love are depending on you. And then you bend under your load, because that’s reality… but you don’t give up. You keep on going, because until you’re dead, that’s LITERALLY YOUR JOB.
It can be uncomfortable, unfair, dangerous, creepy, and a billion other negative words, but you go on. And while you might make attempts to change things (for yourself, or maybe for those who follow you), that doesn’t mean you whine or complain, nor does it mean you dig your heels in and claim that discomfort is a trigger that you’re somehow exempt from feeling. If you’re living life and you’ve never been uncomfortable or upset or bothered by something you’re doing (btw, just to be crystal clear, I’m not talking about rape or edgy stuff here… I’m talking about having to work a second job to make ends meet, or give up fun stuff because you just can’t afford it) then you’re doing it wrong. You’re pretending, not living. Because life is a balance of positive and negative.
I’ll go so far as to say that pain and discomfort is the only thing that will actually push us to change and better ourselves. Those who’ve grown up with no pain and no discomfort, and have never heard the word “no” are not actually grown up. They’re feral children, at best. Until they learn to deal with discomfort, problems, “no,” and change, they won’t BE grown ups.
The epiphany I received while watching a Bear Grylls show once is survival is all about what you are willing to put up with. No different when it comes to family, jobs, friends, etc… When the time comes, and you are challenged with something that seems overwhelming, you either step up, or get crushed. Most people step up and do what the need to do.
I have a quote I say often to young folks: Lead, follow, or get out of the damn way.
Grandma was orphaned at age 13 by the Great Influenza Epidemic. She dropped out of school and got a job working as a maid to support her younger siblings. She regretted, horribly, for the rest of life that she was a high school dropout. She was not credentialed, but ended up quite well educated. At her instigation, her 6 surviving children had, among them, 2 Doctorate degrees, 4 master’s degrees, and 5 bachelor’s degrees. Two taught at major American universities, including one at an internationally well-reputed medical school. I remember her as being, above all, a lady, in the highest sense, with impeccable manners and morals. We did NOT want to disappoint Grandma!
She sounds like an incredible person. My grandmother spent her early years working as a … ahem… a lady of the evening. She met my grandfather “at work” and she left work and had kids with him… and THEN married him. All in the 40s. I only learned most of it after she passed, but I always remember her fondly. 🙂