Smile Lines Project

, gleaned by interviews of each volunteer, often while they sit for the paintings being made, that share their personal skill sets and resilience. They are proof that it gets better. Here is volunteer #39, Jesse's statement:

Death is an unreal state for the living. You get to a place where you must actually participate in saving yourself. You might need to change your diet, your habits. What is the answer to your misery, find out what is bothering you. If you consent to discuss it at some point the human brain will have to name it. Once it has a name it is identifiable, made real. Then you can set up an offense, then you can ask for help, then you can battle it. I had a near death experience. Got hit on my motorcycle. I see myself flying through the air. I was heading toward a bright light. I said, " Naw, no...not yet." Something told me to turn my ass around and get to your body and deal with this nonsense. Self doubts, negative and irrelevant thoughts can be debilitating. But our human bodies are built to take a respite. A sleep cycle heals, regenerates, reboots. Don't know why we have to sleep but we can't avoid it. Things make me determined. The surgeon who operated on me after my motorcycle accident
saved my arm. She fixed it beautifully, fixed it immaculately. She was eight months pregnant,
pure of spirit. She had the glow of life. Good is always happening. No matter what's going on in my head the sunrise matters. If the sun comes up, get off your ass and get busy.