Basking in the Light.

Its been a long hard road to where I am now. A that at times, was so dark, that it seemed as through I would never see daylight. I sit here right now in that glowing nuturing light that I searched for for so very long. But its hard to trust it. Difficult to believe that it is real. At times it feels like an illusion. That past 48 hours has that surreal dreamlike feel. As if I wander too far forward, the light will go out and I will once again be lost in the darkness.
Its dif ficult not to be emotional after such a excruciatingly long journey. I looked around me and see icons in this industry and wonder about the roads they traveled, the realities of the dues they paid. Do I trust this? Is it real? Can I reach out and touch it and have it not evaporate before my eyes?
A journey that went through endless greasy, dusty repair shops, paint shops, sitting by the side of the road after my car has broken down again, wrenches laid out in the ground around me as I try to work a problem with the meager offerings of what I had on hand. Sitting there feeling frustrated but at the same time thankful for the amazing gift we have in this world, the sun on my face, breeze tossing my hair, happy to be alive.
I am always aware of where I came from. Those images, a young girl driving a deathtrap parts delivery truck, hanging out in the park, toolbox sitting in the open truck of my 69 Mustang, tuning my car on a summer day. My first actual painting experinces where I dramatically reacted to things going horribly wrong. So many times I wanted to quit. To give up. And the few times I did, only to end up right back where I started.
I look at these people around me, humbled by their support. Humbled by the amazing women I am working with. wanting to be the person they all believe I am. It feels nice in the light of day. That light that was always at the end of that long long tunnel which was my life. Was it worth the journey?
Yes, it was.