Anyone want to Art Fight with me?
I know it's almost over, but... well, this month has been rough, to say the least. My spouse and I started doing Art Fight 2026 together as a fun activity we could participate with each other because she saw in previous years, I would always do more for others, but only get little in return. I closed my account at the end of last year, as it felt like a big bummer to me, but bless her heart, she wanted to me to have a good summer. We started off on a fun, strong note, each doing a couple of pieces for each other. Then on the fourth day into the month, we received a phone call. My spouse's father had passed out in a Dollar General parking lot. He had been battling cancer for three years. Three long years where he constantly suffered, but continued to fight, outliving the original prognosis he had. On that day, he could fight no longer, but did so at least seeing being able to see his partner, my spouse's mom, one last time. He was rushed to the hospital and underwent emergency surgery, but never woke up. He passed away two days later, after being taken off of life support. My spouse was devastated. She was never able to make a trip to see him one last time, as he lived on the other side of the country, and had a hard time forgiving herself. Her family and I have done our best to console her, reminding her that her dad loved her and always showed off the many gifts of comfort and necessity she would buy him to take care of him. Everyone knows she loved him so very much, to the point she tracked down a tattoo artist in the middle of nowhere so she could get the same design he had on his left forearm. The fact that her dad got to know this was going to happen before he passed away must have brought him great joy, to the point he was coloring the design elatedly when she showed him. It's been rough. Neither of us could sleep well for days. If we did, it was because our bodies could take no more. I did all I could to comfort her, and make her realize that no one thought less of her that she couldn't be there to see him. We have been going through a lot, financially and mentally, and everyone knows it. Alas, this was not good for our mental health, but I tried my best. I mustered up any little bit of positivity I could to help my spouse. It helped her a lot, and I saw it. I am glad. The problem that no one ever talks about, though, is when no one is there for you.
My family is an unavailable. By that, I mean they just cannot connect emotionally. And that has become such a big issue, lately, as they seem so disconnected to what's going on with my spouse and I. My second older brother and mom have offered their condolences, but my dad is completely awful at it. He's so bad, he actually said something really offensive to my spouse, about how "now she has he dad up there and her other dad here," which is a bit insensitive to say. And my oldest brother is... straight up, he's a dickhead. He has not once checked in on her, and when I launched a GoFundMe to help her mother out financially, he said he would help and asked me for the link. He never did, and never addressed it again. So I felt alone. I felt like no one was here to help me. A lot of my friends were unavailable, so I could not go to them. The ones who were have a hard time. Sometimes, it feels like they're brushing me off. One even said I had to be strong for my spouse, completely neglecting my feelings. And unfortunately, it took an immense toll on my mental health. I have been utterly depressed for the last couple of weeks, unable to do much. I've felt like a failure at everything I've tried. I felt like a piece of shit for even thinking that I deserved to get help, because I had to be strong. But I just kept feeling worn out. Day by day, more bad news came: - I was unable to find work for summer. - My credit card I was supposedly going to be able to keep because I paid off was closed due to bankruptcy, eliminating a safety net I had for the summer. - My wife has been struggling with getting commissions, so I've been trying to help her and repost and share as much as I can, but it's tough. - Heat has been killing us, so I bought an Air Conditioner... and then it broke. It started rumbling and shaking violently. You know what the customer support legit asked us when I told them what happened? "Can you measure the decibels of the noise it makes?" Wow. - The AC situation also showed us that there is a power situation in in our home unfortunately that needs to be addressed before we can get a replacement one plugged in, as well. - My anxiety went through the roof several times this month, leading to some TMI health issues that hurt me. - My glasses broke, and I have no vision insurance. - in the last few days, my back became injured and is in a lot of pain, to the point I could not get up for almost an entire day. As you can see, it's been a lot. So many small things have been upsetting me, like small straws just breaking my back, but I just did not want to list them and go on. I've been trying, as I'm still here, and still supporting my wife as best I can, as well as other friends in need. I'm just sad we were unable to continue our Art Fight sessions together. She meant well for doing it at the beginning, and I love her for it. Financially, we are barely floating, but I fear we will be sinking if we cannot get more work for our bills. I feel bad asking for any handouts, because everyone I know generously helped by donating to the GoFundMe for my spouse's mom, and I feel bad asking for more, especially when I know many people are struggling. At this point, all I am asking is if anyone wants to Art Fight to finish the week? I will revenge if you do, to the best of my ability. I just want to have a little bit of joy in this awful month. Here is my Art Fight profile: https://artfight.net/~DrakeLake And if not, I still wish you the best, and hope things can start looking up for all of us.
