When I painted this piece, I had too much emotions brewing in my heart. It was a concoction of love, gratitude, forgiveness, acceptance, optimism but weaved with hate, regrets, anger, guilt, anxiety and fear. Undeniably, it was a constant struggle between being confident one minute and overtaken by self-doubt the next. It was only when I would recenter my focus that I am reminded of the power of mindfulness. Then my INTERNAL MONOLOGUE kicked in: “Roel, that wherever you are at the very present moment is EXACTLY where you are. No ifs, no buts. What happened in the past is something you can not change and what happens in the future is never guaranteed. The moment that really matters is right here, right now. You are breathing, you are loved, you have a blank canvas before you, brushes and paint. Go paint your heart and soul. This is your moment.”