Post 2: When Life Takes a Turn
“The Turnover”
As smooth as Mike’s early “quarters” were, 2000 marked the beginning of a tough “flagrant foul.” After retiring from the pros and thriving in broadcasting, financial distress hit him hard—a personal “foul” he hadn’t prepared for. The pressure mounted, affecting his marriage, and Mike found himself on shaky ground, trying to raise his son Noah, who was only 2.5 years old. He had always been a “social drinker,” but as the financial and emotional stress intensified, that casual drinking started to creep into something more dangerous.
The “timeout” he needed never came, and before long, the drinking escalated. The divorce only amplified his isolation, creating a feedback loop of stress and poor coping. Mike was “dribbling” through the toughest defense life had thrown at him, and he thought he had “pivoted” through it. But as many players know, the hardest battles often go unnoticed until it’s almost too late.
(Next up: Mike’s second half comeback—a fight for redemption.)
The three cut outs.
Here are the 3 different panels that
I have cut out custom.
The background
Mike’s hand (this is HUGE!)
The book
Current progress
The background has one layer on it. But wait! There will be more but I usually prefer to get a first layer on everything so I can see how it really shapes up. Then I can adjust colors later.
Intimate feelings about the story
Having gone thru a divorce, and a time when I feel I abused alcohol myself, I have a very personal alignment with this part of the story. My relationship with alcohol was unhealthy and I used it as a tool to numb the feelings of guilt that I harbored for ending the marriage. I too had a parallel with Mike in the financial devastation. The combination is definitely a 1, 2 punch. I remember not caring if I lived or I died. I wasn’t suicidal, I just plain DID NOT CARE about living.
I feel like I really understand where this is going.
A path I can relate to.
I know that those of you who know me now have a tough time even understanding this. I am currently full of life and energy. I even faked it really well then. Only a select few knew the pain I kept inside then.
Haven’t YOU had a time that you didn’t care? Maybe you were suicidal? Tell me about it below.
About the Painting
I have decided to start with the background. I will be traveling soon and to have the background (first layer) complete will be helpful for the traveling. Which piece should I start next? The hand or the Good Book? Let me know in the comments below.
Collect early - Gigantic rewards.
By being a paid subscriber here, you have the opportunity to collect this work before it’s complete at a price with a HUGE reward. I will progressively increase the price of this work as I tell the story and complete more of the painting. IF you collect early, the painting will still be completed and the story will still be told, but you get to call it “Yours”. You will be the ONLY person to call it “Yours”.