Kyla Rosen

Inspired by “Courage”, a mural by Rosy Sunshine

There are sometimes points in our lives where we have to endure the bad times in order to grow and bloom into the person we are meant to become. The mural “Courage” by Rosy Sunshine, although not a very complex painting, represents and embodies this message in a simple but powerful way. Through its two sides one of rain and one of sun, this mural shows that in order to blossom and grow we have to experience some rain, and know that the sunshine will return. To me this mural means that every rough patch in my life is helping me to become a better version of myself, and that it will get better if I allow myself to keep going and remember that hard times don’t last forever. It shows me that whether I’m going through a patch of rain or a time of sun, the other will always return. Sometimes it seems that adults find it hard to believe that people my age experience the rain as much as we do. Personally I believe that today, a lot of teens experience the rain more than anyone else. We are constantly trying to be like everyone else and live up to society's acceptable standards. I myself have experienced and witnessed how today's world is seriously affecting young people. I have seen how these impossible standards can cause so much rain in our lives. Not eating, so we can be skinny enough, not loving ourselves for who we are because we don’t look like him or her. Losing hope because sometimes it just feels like whatever we do isn’t good enough. Sometimes it’s not just rain, it’s a storm. It’s times when you’re feeling like that, that it helps, even if just a tiny bit, to see a mural like this. A mural that promises that these hardships are helping you to grow, and that the sunshine will come back. Those times when it feels like everything in the world is against you and you haven’t seen the sun in so long, something as simple as a painting under the highway, can make all the difference in the world. It inspires hope. Not all times of our lives are filled with rain and clouds. There are also so many times under the sun. They could last 10 minutes or a year. But they’re there. Late night drives with friends, summer vacation, pool parties, snowball fights in the freezing cold, going out to that restaurant that always just hits the spot, even just sitting outside on a nice day. These are the things I see in the sunny side of the mural. The happy moments when you feel like you’re on top of the world and you don’t even have the faintest glimpse of rain. But in order to experience all these sunny times, there has to be some rain involved beforehand. Even just a sprinkle. Frustrations when planning with friends, freezing pool water, getting hit right in the face with that snowball, a long wait at that restaurant, the wind making you shiver even though it was just beautiful out. There is no sun without rain, and there is no rain without sun. Both are equally important, and both will come eventually. But just like the mural shows, the rain will help you grow, and the sun will help you blossom. I’ve had times of both rain and sun, as has everyone. Personally I believe that there are points of rain and sun every day. I’ve had horrible days or even weeks when it felt like a constant downpour, but even in those days there are tiny hints of sun through the clouds.

The smile of a loved one, my dog just wanting to lay with me, the laugh of a friend. Anything that makes me forget my troubles for just a minute, is my hint of sun. I see those hints of sun right in the middle of the mural, where the two sides meet, and come together to show that rain and sun are a package deal, and you’ll never have one without the other. While this mural portrays that we grow in all conditions, it also shows how we have to continue moving no matter what. The fish in the ocean below show that we have to continuously keep going, rain or shine, to get to where we need to be and who we’re meant to be. The fish swim through the sun, and the fish swim through the rain. To me, the fish represent that whether we’re in the highest point of our life, or taking cover during a storm, we can’t stop living. You can’t give up because things are difficult, and you can’t put in less effort because things have been going your way. You always have to continue moving, growing, and looking forward. As Dory would say, we have to just keep swimming.

While this mural is beautiful, it is also quite simple. But I feel that the simplicity behind it makes it more powerful overall. While you can clearly see two sides, the sun and the rain, you have to go much deeper within yourself to find a real meaning. It makes you think and consider all the possible messages that the artist was trying to convey through this mural, but also forces you to think about what it means to you. When I first looked at this mural, I didn’t think extremely highly of it. But it became my favorite of all the murals, once I was able to think of what it represents for me. While I can’t be certain of what this mural meant to the artist, or what it means to anyone else, to me it represents hope, and having the strength to continue on at all times. It shows that no matter what we will have highs and lows, and that they are both entirely necessary in pointing us in the right direction. To put it quite simply, it reminds me that during the rain the sun will soon come, and in the sun never forget that there will be rain once again.

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