Keep You Safe

I was having dinner with one of my best friends the other night, who is just finishing her residency to become a doctor. We talked about motherhood and how much pressure there is to "enjoy every moment! Savor every day with those precious babies! They grow so fast!" They do grow fast and we should savor. But sometimes they yell at you and you're tired and there's a lot of time on the clock before bedtime and it's exhausting. She told me about her favorite article where someone asks a famous writer if he loved writing and he replied, "No. But I love having written." The article argues the same logic to motherhood, "I love having parented" (google "Don't Carpe Diem", thank you @glennondoyle for such great writing). It may not be possible to soak up every moment while also juggling dreams like going to med school or starting an art business or following any number of goals. And those dreams may not always feel like dreams when you're down in the trenches and the work is hard. But I believe in our ability to find joy in both the moments and the experience as a whole--good and bad. It's okay if it's hard. Sometimes, it will be great. And we can love having lived. ["Keep You Safe" 16x16, available at @15th_street_gallery