Challenges

Challenges. We all face them. Whether it is simply coming up with the desire to get out of bed or dealing with a world shattering problem, everyone on the planet deals with challenges. How we face them determines what kind of human being we are. Now, needless to say I've faced my own share, and coming into this class I thought that the biggest challenge I was going to face this semester was getting this short animated film, “Exit Strategy” done on time.

I was wrong.

In the midst of panicking over whether I could get props modeled for the film yesterday, I received a phone call that sent all my concerns and worries completely out the window. My father-in-law had been placed in the hospital following a “cardio event.” That is bad enough, but in this case it's worse – he has a preexisting, terminal condition and there is nothing to be done for him except to make him as comfortable as possible.

This is a worst case scenario come to life.

I've spent most of this night working on models, and discovering that I have actually learned something about Maya in all my time spent in college. I've successfully finished a number of pieces for the film, but failed to complete all models necessary for my first goal. That's incredibly frustrating to me. Yet in pushing pixels around I have really been wondering whether this film is that important. I mean in terms of fulfilling my end of the film making team, and getting a good grade, and learning, and practicing, what I'm doing is important. But in terms of my wife, her family, and her father – what's the point of a comedy about the after life? And that, right there, is my challenge: determining what is the most important thing to do from everything I face, and doing the best I can at it.

Work on the film is done for tonight. I'm going to post this and go to bed. I have a feeling that this is going to be a very long semester.