On bothering

From the Inspirational Thought Unit

I'm not a guy who reads poems for fun or leisure...but a good poem always seems to hit me hard just at the times I need them. Poet Sean Thomas Dougherty wrote the above poem. It's from his book The Second O of Sorrow.

I needed to see this. Here I am wondering why I should spend half my week working on a comic about a space mouse and a living skeleton. Who cares about that? Who needs it? Why bother?

"Because right now, there is someone out there with a wound in the exact shape of your words." - Sean Thomas Dougherty

You can switch out "words" with images, film, dances, scale models, comic pages, LEGO builds, and I think it still works just the same.

As I worked on my comic this week I also noticed I've been feeling high. I get that way when I make things, especially comics. I've been in such a good mood. Felt like nothing could bring me down.

Thinking about this poem today I realize that maybe the wounded person who needs my comic is...me.

And that's reason enough for me to bother.

-Jake