I’m a bit embarrassed to share this but feel the need to do so. I know there are seasons of life and that singleness is also a gift. As I get older, I’m beginning to see that singleness might be more of a permanent gift. Sometimes when I go to weddings and/or baby showers, the game of comparison inevitably takes place. Yes, grass is always greener on the other side: Everyone in my parents' group of friends have grandchildren already. Nevertheless, I’m very grateful for what God has done in my life. Even if my life were to stop right now, I can recount nothing but blessings.
My mentor said, “you wouldn’t be able to do this if you were married/have children.” He was pointing to the fact that I have unlimited free time to focus on my artwork or art making, going back to school in the middle of a teaching career. Most people went to college once, but I had the opportunity to go a little bit beyond.
Though I don’t have kids of my own, every week, I get to spend time with 180+ kids and share my love for art making with them. They all really look up to me and believe that I can make or draw just about anything. Lately, it has been unicorns. However, if I have to draw one more unicorn, I think I'll actually turn into one!
I remember sharing with my friend who has two kids, that I didn’t spend enough time on a personal project, only 1 1/2 hours or so. To which she replied, “what!? You have 1 1/2 hours of free time to yourself!” I suppose free time must be a rare commodity for people with children/families of their own.