The Struggle to Achieve...

I've spent the last two days in the studio trying to finish the newest commissioned illustration piece, listening to records, and trying to stay productive. Two days is a lot of time to spend on a drawing and normally I walk away feeling accomplished, however this drawing is in it's small detail stage, in which I could spend hours doing subtle adjustments and tightening to pre-existing strokes. At the end of these two days the image hardly shows any substantial  or noticeable changes. When I'm behind on all other tasks and chores in life, this sluggish stage of drawing is frustrating to say the least. My hand and shoulder ache from the previous work week. My still un-filed taxes nag at my attention in the back of my mind. The frustration of the clients who are awaiting response to their e-mails haunts my internet, and the still broken washing machine I promised to fix is lurking in the basement sharing my inadequacies with the water heater... Suffice to say, there's so much to get done, but I just can't walk away from this drawing on my desk.
As bothersome as this stage can be, it's also the point where I can finally see the end. Now there is a finish line and within art, every finished creation is a milestone of achievement; a culmination of everything that piece taught me lives on the page. It is the new foundation for everything I will build from here on. This struggle, consistent with the theme of the month, is an exercise in patience and focus.
The universe to me, seems to be a fan of parallels... In life, just before something can be really great, the struggle to achieve that greatness increases exponentially. For example; if you're a runner, the race is always hardest at the end, for a fighter round 3 makes round 1 seem like a pillow fight, and if you're traveling the world, that last layover before making it back home can almost be enough to ruin an otherwise perfect trip.
We have to have patience that all struggles have to end and maintain our focus on the prize at the end of the line....