Life is a divine journey that we fill in the colors along the way. I'm recovering from surgery I had last week, so I've had lots of time to sit and relax (well, as much as possible). I keep asking myself what colors am I using in my crayon repertoire today? Some days I use a lot of red when I am full of energy, laughter and witty comments. Other times, I overuse brown when I'm feeling lonely, tired or just at odds with the world around me.
I use reds, orange and yellow in many areas of my life. The bright colors are the words the world uses to describe me on most days. It is through my exhuberance that I help encourage others to live a life of joy. But there are other impossible times where dark shades of gray try to overtake my otherwise happy thoughts. It's easy to push those gray days away when I am busy with life jumping from one task to another, but what happens when I am forced to be still for long periods of time and I don't have to put on a rainbow show for anyone? What colors do I gravitate toward then? It depends...
What is within my thought life? Well, again, that depends... what am I choosing to watch on television? What am I reading? What am I listening to on the radio? Who am I choosing to spend time with? Each of my focused thoughts also determine what colors are most worn down in my crayon box. Lately, browns encircle my journey as frustrations in not finding a job, the inclement weather, and in the uncertainty of our world events are swirling around me. I am naturally drawn to brown even though others would contridict me. Creating a world of bright colors in my life has been a daily decision for me, literally. When I choose to pick up the reds and yellows, there are times I fight it... I don't want to be cheerful today, I want to wallow in self-pity, I want to make others feel the pain I am feeling, I just don't feel like being nice. But when I decide to fight through the thoughts of living in a colorless world, I realize I am opening myself up to a beautiful decision that leads into amazing results for me and to the lives I touch each day.
I am blessed to have family members who encourage me to color my world with vibrance. There is a saying that "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy", so they, too, have a direct benefit in my color choices! I've learned that everything runs more smoothly when I emphasize the right colors. People around me seem more peaceful and happy. And an amazing thing happens when I make that choice in my own private world...it is filled with more hope and contagious enthusiasm then I can contain! And I impact my world for the better! What colors are worn down in your crayon box?
