You know when your mom gets that look? Like, the one where her eyes get all sparkly and she smiles really big but it's not a *happy* smile, it's a "you just did something amazing for the family" smile? Yeah, sometimes you just… you get that look and you know you did good. Like, you sent money for your cousins' school books, or their uniforms, or even just like, their tuition, right? And your mom is SO proud. And you feel good for like, a second. And then she starts talking about the NEXT thing, and the thing after that. And you just smile and nod because what else are you gonna do? It's like, you worked SO hard to get here. You were the first to go to college, the first to finish law school. Everyone was like, "Wow, she's gonna be a lawyer! She's gonna make us all so proud!" And you really wanted to. You still do, I guess. You work all these crazy hours and you get these bonuses and you're like, okay, cool, I can actually do this. I can help. But then your mom finds out about every single promotion, every raise, every little extra bit of money. And she calls everyone and tells them. And then suddenly, it's not *your* money anymore. It's like, family money. And you feel so bad because it's not like they're asking for something silly, it's for school! For a better life! But sometimes you just… you just wanna keep like, a little bit for yourself. For something… I don’t know. For a new paint set, or for art classes, or just something that’s *mine*. And you feel so awful even thinking that. Like, a REALLY awful person. Because your mom, she worked so hard. Everyone did. And they sacrificed so much for you to even *be* here. And now you're making good money, probably more than anyone ever thought you would, and you should just be happy to share it. You should be GRATEFUL. But sometimes you just sit there, looking at your bank account, and you think, "Is this all there is?" Like, you're just this money machine for everyone else. And you don’t know how to tell anyone that sometimes you just wanna draw, or just… exist, without feeling like every single dollar you earn is already spent before you even get it. It’s like a secret you have to keep because if you said it out loud, they’d think you were, like, selfish. Or just really ungrateful. And you’re not, really. You just… sometimes you just wanna breathe.