Drop it in low 4 and just push through

I had a bad week this week.  It started with a second breakdown of my new”ish” car, moved to roadside assist hanging up on me 3 times, hit the roadblock of an $800 tow bill, round the bend to getting lost in my own home town and hit the final wall with a complete rejection by a personal trainer at a workout center.  There is a rule of 3 and I got hit with 2 more than the average.  I would say I was done but, the alternative isn’t something I want to choose.

I could say look on the bright side, a generous friend who came and got me and my passenger, a fuzzy 9 week old corgi puppy (Fergus), a lovely painting that was completed after my run in with the bad customer service, a tow service that re-checks it’s milage, and an amazing and magical mechanic, but in the end I think the lesson here is; just push through.  Each day this week, I got out of my bed and made it.  I made a healthy breakfast from scratch.  I worked on my new studio and found new ways to do things.

I took my puppy to the Vet’s for his first check up and they too were having a bad week.  There was a huge pet crisis going on for someone there (I didn’t really ask but I could tell their heart was breaking).  The veterinarian and the staff were all trying to work through it all and I just kept handing over 5lbs of wiggles and joy.  They kept pushing through and one of the techs told me, “When ever something bad happens, there is always a puppy or kitten that shows up for us to cuddle.”  Fergus wasn’t the only puppy there, but he was passed around a lot.

This year has been rather like that.  There has been crisis and fear, loss and frustration but there has also been babies and helpers, celebrations and joy.  We just have to keep on pushing through.  We need to find our way to the other side of the awful and cuddle the joy.  Remember how our parents and teachers used to council us when we were having a bad day? “Someone out there is facing a real crisis and you should be grateful.”  I do believe they were right, (I also believe my feelings of frustration were valid).  I have a friend working on a huge project this year.  It gives her bad days and good days and all the while she is working full time for a non-profit, she pushes through.  There is another I know who lost her job and she is out doing interviews and looking on the whole mess as a chance to try new places in the country; she maybe pushing through to another state, but she is still pushing through.

There is always another alternative in the art business, you can quit and get a 9-5 (or other shift); or you can get up each day, count your pennies and continue on.  I’ll keep my nail tech license but I think for now, I’m just going to keep pushing through.