I took this picture while visiting the Jellies exhibit at the Shedd Aquarium downtown, and I think they make for a great metaphor of my entire 2011 experience. It's a bit of a stretch, but I'll try not to sound too cheesy.
Jellyfish are free-flowing creatures without a central nervous system, and manage to exist out of practically nothing -- their bodies are 95% water, with the rest being a mix of gelatinous material aka "Jelly" that's transparent and fragile -- capable of living geographically anywhere in our oceans. They can't see very well, they only eat when they have to, and let the water's salinity and currents determine where they should go to meet with other Jellies and stay safe.
Taking all of this into consideration, I was fascinated by the fact that a creature whose biology and body mass is made up of so little could survive to be the oldest multi-organism on Earth, with 600 million years and a countless number of species on its belt. Call me a sap, but I feel like one day the Jelly decided to choose Life over Death with evolution, and make good with what little it had.
Looking back at my pursuit of happiness for 2011, I have to say that my experience this year has been like the Jelly. I've made decisions passively rather than passionately for the sake of survival because of the fact that I couldn't afford financially what I wanted to get into. San Francisco didn't happen, I moved to Chicago without a secure job, and my creative mojo suffered because of it. I applied to a graduate program in counseling to 'stay safe' about my professional future in something I was already familiar with, rather than continue with the 'starving artist' idea. I have been juggling 3 part time jobs to pay the city bills. In the same way the Jelly move with the water's current, I feel like I've been letting myself move along with whatever Life is bringing me.
The funny thing is... it's been five months since I moved to Chicago, and I know that my pursuit of happiness has a long way to go... except I can't really say that I'm unhappy.
Great things did happen to me in 2011:
-I got paid for a online comic strip submission.
-I got to experience my first serious relationship.
-I wrote my first spec-script without any prior screenwriting experience.
-I read "Gone with the Wind."
-I took my running hobby to a new level with 5ks and 10ks.
-I moved to Chicago, and can now say to people I actually do live in Chicago.
-I lost a job at a bakery after 4 1/2 shifts, only to get another job months later at another bakery who's cupcakes could make the first bakery's cupcakes cry in shame.
-I walked into a job fair at the Second City -- the Second City -- and now get to work in the same place that made people like Steve Carell, Tina Fey, and Amy Poehler who they are now.
-I started painting on canvas again.
There really isn't much to complain about, even though my artistic endeavors haven't been the same. I'm happy with this small support group I'm getting with writing, the opportunities I'm having at my jobs to socialize and have fun... not to mention still keeping in touch with my family and enjoying the 20Something life with an awesome roommate!
Next year will be interesting, hopefully less-Jellyfish-like with more persistent choices on my career plans and finances as I stick to the city life.
Jellyfish are free-flowing creatures without a central nervous system, and manage to exist out of practically nothing -- their bodies are 95% water, with the rest being a mix of gelatinous material aka "Jelly" that's transparent and fragile -- capable of living geographically anywhere in our oceans. They can't see very well, they only eat when they have to, and let the water's salinity and currents determine where they should go to meet with other Jellies and stay safe.
Taking all of this into consideration, I was fascinated by the fact that a creature whose biology and body mass is made up of so little could survive to be the oldest multi-organism on Earth, with 600 million years and a countless number of species on its belt. Call me a sap, but I feel like one day the Jelly decided to choose Life over Death with evolution, and make good with what little it had.
Looking back at my pursuit of happiness for 2011, I have to say that my experience this year has been like the Jelly. I've made decisions passively rather than passionately for the sake of survival because of the fact that I couldn't afford financially what I wanted to get into. San Francisco didn't happen, I moved to Chicago without a secure job, and my creative mojo suffered because of it. I applied to a graduate program in counseling to 'stay safe' about my professional future in something I was already familiar with, rather than continue with the 'starving artist' idea. I have been juggling 3 part time jobs to pay the city bills. In the same way the Jelly move with the water's current, I feel like I've been letting myself move along with whatever Life is bringing me.
The funny thing is... it's been five months since I moved to Chicago, and I know that my pursuit of happiness has a long way to go... except I can't really say that I'm unhappy.
Great things did happen to me in 2011:
-I got paid for a online comic strip submission.
-I got to experience my first serious relationship.
-I wrote my first spec-script without any prior screenwriting experience.
-I read "Gone with the Wind."
-I took my running hobby to a new level with 5ks and 10ks.
-I moved to Chicago, and can now say to people I actually do live in Chicago.
-I lost a job at a bakery after 4 1/2 shifts, only to get another job months later at another bakery who's cupcakes could make the first bakery's cupcakes cry in shame.
-I walked into a job fair at the Second City -- the Second City -- and now get to work in the same place that made people like Steve Carell, Tina Fey, and Amy Poehler who they are now.
-I started painting on canvas again.
There really isn't much to complain about, even though my artistic endeavors haven't been the same. I'm happy with this small support group I'm getting with writing, the opportunities I'm having at my jobs to socialize and have fun... not to mention still keeping in touch with my family and enjoying the 20Something life with an awesome roommate!
Next year will be interesting, hopefully less-Jellyfish-like with more persistent choices on my career plans and finances as I stick to the city life.
No comments:
Post a Comment