Saving Your Passion for the Long Run

"The Art of Marinas" by Malou Liwanag-Aguilar

Born in the Philippines, Marinas migrated here in the United States in 1973. Although his passion was art, he had to make sacrifices, being the eldest among 12 siblings. "Nasa akin ang burden, (The burden was on my shoulders)," he said and added, "It was a sad situation, I was born a painter, pero kailangan ko tumigil dahil napakahirap maghanap ng trabaho. (I was born a painter, but I had to stop [painting] because it was hard to look for a job."

And for 35 years, Marinas set aside his talents. Of miracles and motivation.

Marinas concentrated on his career in electrical engineering, and during those years, would only paint with his heart and soul in his mind. However, degenerative spinal problems changed the course of his life.

Marinas was able to build a life in the US and was able to help all his siblings, but being unable to do what he is most passionate about created that void in his life. Now faced with a painful medical condition, he became depressed. He was about to lose faith when the miracle happened.

His condition made Marinas unable to work and it was a blessing in disguise – for this time, he had nothing else to do but paint. Marinas produced The Harvest Continues, a mural that depicted grape harvesting, won him first place.

Marinas still continues to paint in spite of his medical condition.

Marinas believes that what he is going through is almost short of being a miracle. In spite of the fact that he will still have to undergo more surgeries in the near future, he recognizes pain as his inspiration. "I use reverse psychology. Pero sabi ko nga sa mga tao that I share my story with – those who have cancer and other illnesses – my life is just starting," he said, pausing a moment to think and then added, "It is never too late. I have so much faith in God."

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Complete article: http://www.asianjournal.com/aj-magazine/something-filipino/1265-the-art-of-marinas.html

This story stood out to me because it reminded me about my most recent ex. (I hope you're reading this :P)

I remember having conversations about "doing what you want" verses "doing what you need to do first." My ex and I were raised differently. I was well-supported and he was tight with his finances. You can say I was spoiled - and still am. My dad passed away over a decade ago, granting me Chapter 35 by veteran affairs- basically some pretty good educational assistance.

Being well-supported has given me the opportunity to basically do whatever I want - but to be more specific, not be limited to the kinds of occupations I should take (nursing, medical stuff, you know the ordeal). Instead, I've gone through several majors, been involved in many kinds of organizations and made a bunch of mistakes here and there without worrying about the costs. I'm free to find myself. And I have taken full advantage of that.

However, with so much freedom - without a worry about money, I've basically grown up without having to work too hard for the things I wanted. Spoiled, to reiterate.

And if there were many reasons why we broke up, this was probably one of them.

My ex on the other hand didn't have the same benefits I had. In fact, his dad was just retiring so it'd probably take a while before he was able to get some educational benefits. I remember him telling me that his mom had to pay for his school out of her own pocket.

So when you have someone who's well supported and another who's tight on cash together, you can suspect that there will be different view points and personalities.

While he believed in commitment and balance, I believed in passion and following my heart. A lot of things that I wanted to improve about myself, he had. And maybe he felt the same way (but I can't say for sure :P).

At first it was attractive. You'd think we'd complete each other. But read on.

His life was scheduled. My life was spontaneous.
His beliefs were strong. My beliefs kept changing.
He was established. I was still trying to find myself.

Consistent and inconsistent personalities can only get along if both are willing to be patient and understanding with one another. But emotions grew strong. Our good intentions came off as hurtful actions. We didn't understand each other as much as we thought. It came down to hurt feelings and misunderstanding that it was inevitable our relationship would end.

He used to tell me that although he'd rather do music and other artsy stuff, he felt it was important to be stable first. He first wanted to be financially well-off so then he can have the money to do what he wants in the future. I remember we spoke about the movie Rent and how he didn't want to end up like the artists with so many problems in the movie. I don't know if I told him this, but I thought living like that would be a fun adventure. :P

On the same note, he also didn't like problems.
...I usually embraced them with open arms.

But anyway.

Reading this article reminds me of him because in the long run, Marinas was able to live his passion.

It's inspiring, really - to invest for your passions...

Though it's not a lifestyle I personally have to live, it's a lifestyle I've grown to admire and respect.

There's still hope for you, ex. :P
Just kidding. I know you'll turn out just fine.
& hey, I really do hope the best for both of our futures. :]

Thanks for reading.
Hope you enjoyed this :]

Love,
jenAMOS.