I’m trying not to be the Disappointed Panda.

One of the designs I decided to share this month is my Disappointed Panda t-shirt. 

I’m not quite sure when the idea of the Disappointment Panda edged its way into my psyche, but one night I was drawing after a particularly bad day at work, and there it was on my screen. The panda with his head dropped down described how I was feeling there and then.

At work I felt like every time I just got some forward momentum another problem zoomed into my inbox. Some of you may say, “Well, that’s the life of a Project Manager!” And they’d be right. But even Project Managers deserve a day of wins sometimes.

When I stopped work and turned on the television, news of a certain tangerine man’s plans to disrupt the world with needless tariffs filled the screen. Again, I felt like things were getting tough.

When Ms Oldpac asked where the Disappointed Panda idea came from, I explained to her why I had drawn it, but really I didn’t know why it was a panda. She hates a mystery, surprising really as she writes mystery books, so she decided to track down the origin.

It seems my Disappointed Panda had its origins in Mark Manson’s The subtle art of not giving a f*ck. In his book a panda told him,

“Life is essentially an endless series of problems, Mark,” the panda told me. He sipped his drink and adjusted the little pink umbrella. “The solution to one problem is merely the creation of the next one.”

Man, this is so close to what I thought that day it’s surreal. I felt overwhelmed, and despite my best efforts, I couldn’t make progress.

Drawing is one of my ways to deal with the funk of work and life, and the other is riding my bike. So, the other drawing I’m sharing with you this month is one of my Adventure Before Dementia series. Maybe it’s me, or maybe it’s just me hoping that even when I’m old and rickety, I’ll still be out on my bike making things better.

I’m back on the right track now, and I’ve put the Disappointed Panda away for the moment, but it’s there in the drawer ready to make an appearance the next time I have one of those days. And when I put it on, I hope it reminds me to get out there and do something I enjoy to ride away the funk.

Stay positive

Jim