The series finale of The Handmaid's Tale aired recently, and it was intensely satisfying. I wanted to share a timelapse of my watercolor painting of June (played by Elisabeth Moss), along with a few quotes and reflections…
As dark and unsettling as this story is, I find it deeply important and relatable on many levels.
One theme that really gets me is the idea of what becomes ordinary, as expressed in Aunt Lydia's quote. I've always struggled to relate to many aspects of the world, our culture, and the conventional life path. It feels like most people go about daily life either unable or unwilling to acknowledge the things that are seriously wrong or out of balance, both in the outer world and within themselves… and I get it! It is incredibly difficult and painful. Disrupting the status quo often comes at a cost. Doing so can threaten one's sense of safety and comfort — and let's face it, the trials and tribulations of everyday life are exhausting enough as it is.
“Freedom, like everything else, is relative.”
In many places, people assume they are free — but are they really? What freedoms have we quietly traded away in exchange for comfort, security, or routine?
Statistics say about 1 in 5 people are taking antidepressants (not to mention other numbing vices), which makes me wonder: what does that say about our society, when so many need to medicate just to get through daily life? Something is amiss….
“Nothing changes instantaneously; in a gradually heating bathtub you'd be boiled to death before you knew it.”
It's true. We're all just a bunch of boiled frogs trying to do our best! I might live a more unconventional life than most — and while it feels right for me, it can sometimes feel lonely and like I'm swimming against the current.
“You can't help what you feel, but you can help how you behave.”
All I can do is try to be a good person, follow the guiding light that flickers off in the distance, and trust that I'll end up where I'm meant to be.
