Grief doesn’t pause for joy. And joy doesn’t wait for grief to finish.

Grief doesn’t pause for joy. And joy doesn’t wait for grief to finish.

I learned that the hard way.

When my dog died 10 years ago, I was sadder than I have ever been in my entire life. That kind of sad that sits on your chest. And somewhere in the middle of my sadness, something good happened. Something that made me feel happy for a moment.

And I almost felt guilty for it.

Like feeling happy meant I wasn’t sad enough. Like joy was somehow disrespectful to the loss.

But here’s what I’ve come to understand. You can feel both. At the exact same time. Happy doesn’t erase sad. Sad doesn’t cancel out happy. They just… coexist. Like they always have. Like they always will.

This painting came out of that understanding. I didn’t know what it was about when I made it. I saw flowers and gardens. Maybe the ocean floor. A phoenix. A dragon.

I named it after I understood it.

A Positive Escape.

Because that’s what it is. Not a denial of the hard stuff. Just a reminder that we can feel all of it. And we get through all of it. And it’s ok to feel conflicting emotions at the same time.

If this one has found its person, it’s available. Just say the word.

A Positive Escape, 10×10, acrylic