I often feel like it’s too late for me to become the cultured person I intended to be. I didn’t get the liberal arts education that I was obviously meant for. I never took a poetry course in college. I never attended the orchestra as a kid.
It is easy to forget how much I have already transformed when all I can see is how much is still left to do.
It used to be that searching for my full name brought up absolutely nothing, but now with just a few details this comic appears.
I guess that means I have SEO figured out but I’m not sure how I feel about how easy I am to find.
Sometimes, when you have to go … you have to go.
My days are often filled with these moments.
The times when I say “I can” seem to be increasing.
Living with anxiety.
And yes, I do sit with my knee in front of me like that constantly throughout the day and yes, I recognize that this might be part of the reason it bothers me.
Hope is a beautiful thing.
Except when it’s completely unfounded and makes you a little crazy.
The frustrating thing is that you never know the difference between the beautiful version and the crazy version until after the fact.
A moment from therapy.
In 2009, my former art teacher, Mr. Joe Bell called me to ask if I would be interested in helping with Highland High School’s production of Grease. He didn’t have enough boys for all the roles and no one who could pull off Beauty School Dropout. He’d gotten permission to have a alum come in alumni to come in and perform the song.
He didn’t know it at the time, but I truly believe that his phone call saved my life.
I was sliding into a suicidal depression that continued into late 2010, one that nearly claimed my life. Without the catharsis and connection that the stage offered me, I don’t know that I would have survived this period.
The years since have been some of my most difficult, but also some of the absolute best. I’ve seen things and felt things I couldn’t have imagined. I’ve met people who have changed my outlook on the world and been, in some small way, an inspiration to others around me.
All because of a call from a high school art teacher.
So, I dedicate this to all of the teachers that ever reached out to me and specifically to Joe Bell. You changed my life. You saved my life.
Sometimes online dating and online comics that reveal your deepest, darkest secrets don’t go together all that well.
Sometimes, art is hard.