My father was an art conservator. He restored artwork for museums and private collectors. So as you might imagine, art covered every wall of my childhood home.
One painting that I always loved was by a friend of my dad’s -- an abstract artist named Ulfred Wilke -- who did a series of pieces on hobo symbols.
Hoboes are workers who wander the countryside -- mostly by railcar -- looking for temporary, often seasonal work. While some say 20,000 people still live this lifestyle in North America (I know they’re still around because they have their own website: www.hobo.com and annual convention), I’ve read that the hobo population probably peaked in the 1930s era of the Great Depression.
To cope with their difficult and often dangerous lives, hoboes developed a system of symbols to communicate with each other. They would write this code with chalk or coal on makeshift signs or fence posts to provide directions, information and warnings to other hoboes. Through these symbols they communicated messages such as, “barking dog,” “someone home” or “safe camp.”
Wilke’s painting, which now hangs on my wall, is an interpretation of the hobo symbol for “don’t give up.” I love that message. Especially coming from someone who you might think has every reason to give up ... no steady job, no place to call home, and few of the basic essentials that most of us take for granted.
Whenever I look at this painting, I imagine what would prompt a hobo to offer these words of inspiration to his or her railcar companions. It’s also a great reminder to persevere.
The next time you’re presented with a challenge that seems too overwhelming to tackle, picture this: two circles side by side, touching, but not linked. It’s the hobo symbol for “don’t give up” and I hope it gives you the inspiration you need to keep pushing forward.
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