As a youngster in school, coloring is a part of who we are and how we learn. Coloring to satisfy adults is a great accomplishment. Our ability to stay inside the lines may mean the difference between taking home a happy faced paper or a frowny faced paper. It's a big deal.
As we grow older, though, we abandon coloring as a learning technique, and many of us stop coloring altogether.
Personally, I think coloring is healthy and fun and therapeutic and soothing. It's a mindless task that I can seriously concentrate on. I can let everything else melt away and focus solely on my the picture I am bringing to life, or I can color absentmindedly, unconcerned about the final product.
Coloring is no longer about impressing my teachers and making presents for my parents, so there's no more pressure, and that's the beauty of it. You may call me crazy if you want to, but I have this theory that when we return to the things we loved in childhood, the world gets a little bit better and makes a little bit more sense. When we allow ourselves to be vulnerable and loving and faithful, like a child, we are free.
So, sometimes I color to relieve stress, to think through problems, to avoid thinking entirely, to simply have fun, to focus on prayer, to meditate, to do all sorts of things that need to be done. For me, coloring is something that takes me back to being a little girl, and, sometimes, things are much clearer from her point of view.
No comments:
Post a Comment