The Door

I finished a picture last night inspired by the television show "The Prisoner." It is a surrealistic picture but then several of my art pieces do veer off into that aspect of art. I am a huge fan of Salvatore Dali. The show may be thirty years old but it still has meaning for today.

In our lives we have a tendency to make our own prisons. We limit ourselves in what we can accomplish and how the quality of our life is led. We sometimes allow emotions to rule us rather then us rule them. Some people are fueled by anger and hate. Some people are driven by self doubt and self hatred. Some people are simply afraid to dream.

In the picture the man is staring at the door as if that is the only way out. He feels that he is trapped by the Guardian on the other side. He fails to look around him to see that there are many other avenues of freedom available.

It can be difficult to take that first step towards getting yourself out of a trap. I know because it took me six years to find the courage to leave an abusive husband. It wasn't easy since I had been warned that he might try to kill me if I left him. I was determined however to take control of my life and get away. Once I took that first step towards freedom the other steps became much easier.

The important thing is that we are much stronger then we sometimes give ourselves credit for. Life is too short to be stuck in a relationship, a job, a lifestyle, or anything that stifles you as an individual and is a detriment to your own self worth. One thing that was almost lost in my marriage was my feeling of myself as a worthwhile human being. I was so psychologically battered that I had real doubts about myself as a person. It took one person, whom I didn't know all that well at the time, to give me back that spark that allowed me to rediscover myself. He looked at my art work and immediately offered me a place in his next convention's art tables.

It is important to have dreams for yourself but it is even more important that you do something towards making those dreams come true. I firmly believe that we must never allow ourself to be stuck in a prison of our own making. There are paths to freedom out there if you search for them. Sometimes it is the road less traveled that you need to take but for your own well being you must take that first step yourself. If you can help someone else who is trapped do so. You may be saving their life too.