Remember this little guy?

This is the picture I destroyed for my Keep Marching On task. It's a picture that has equal parts sentimental and painful value to me. It's a picture of me and my first girlfriend on my first ever date. A date I scored at the expense of a valuable friendship. I decided to make that pain into something beautiful.

And these little guys?

This is the finished product of my Keep Marching On praxis. Prom-fetti. It will be the building blocks of my redemption.

Tools of the trade...

The fateful scissors and level (don't own a ruler), this time being used for something a little more productive, the frame for the sign and my prom-fetti. The box the scissors are resting on will eventually become the backdrop for my sign.

Humble beginnings.

I laid out the pieces on the now-cut-out box lid. I immediately realized space would be an issue. I was expecting to have a lot more, but I'd forgotten the picture was initially a 5"x7", not a 4"x6". Still, I trundled on. Tacky glue and makeshift posterboard in hand, I went to work.

Finished product.

I think it came out really nice. I tried to be random when picking which pieces to use where, but I had to be careful to match sizes and whatnot. All in, though, I was impressed that I could make something even close to appealing looking. Now, the question was where to put it. I toyed with the notion of hanging it above my bed, as a sort of enthusiastic "cheers!" to any future woman who might sleep with me in it. But that reeked of insincerity and immaturity, and this whole thing was kind of about getting past that. I also opted not to hang it in the bathroom for the same reason.

Home Sweet Home

I ultimately opted for the front door. Don't worry, it's carefully secured with nails and hot glue. I'm nothing if not obsessively thorough. I figure this was about making a painful memory into a positive reminder, and the door serves two purposes: for me to leave out of every day and for any friends who visit to leave out of, because if you're in my apartment, you're my friend. I want to remind my friends that I appreciate them and their friendships, and I want to congratulate myself for every step I take out that door, because every day that passes is another day further from the man who lies shredded on that posterboard and another day closer to the man I want to be. I hope you enjoyed experiencing this as much as it hurt me to do.