This past Christmas, a coworker gifted all of us at the
office with coloring books made for
adults, designed by a friend of hers, and filled with uplifting inspirational sayings in gorgeous artistic formats. At the time I remember
being immediately struck by how stunning it was, and what a clever idea…but I
also wondered if I’d ever actually, you know…sit down and apply myself to any of
the pages. I mean, I felt a little bit silly even considering it—even though coloring
is something I absolutely loved to do as a child, who has time for it when they’re
all grown up and busy with…responsibilities…and chores…and whatnot?
However…perhaps
it was the spirit of the holiday season, but I did purchase a box of crayons…just in case I got motivated to…unleash my inner youngster….or some such nonsense. And, well, I am a girl,
so I just had to go with the Mermaid Shimmer option, because really, how
could you NOT? And then…my lovely tools of colorful expression sat on a shelf…pristine
and untouched…for months.
Meanwhile, it seems that this whole concept of “adult coloring books” went and became a
bona fide craze, dude! Suddenly they’re
everywhere, and being touted as the
next big thing in, I don’t know…stress management?
Meditation through Crayola? Making pretty pictures…for those with zero artistic talent?
Whatever the case may be, I found a valid excuse to
give it a try when my mother-in-law
had surgery recently. I wanted to
send her some get-well cards, and it
struck me that it would be the perfect opportunity to include a…semi-hand-crafted motivational message…as
an extra personal touch. Also, of course, I’d get to spend a few minutes ignoring my household tasks…I mean “designing a page that I’d carefully selected
for the recipient—with her unique qualities in mind.”
Riiiiight…okay, confession: I chose a message based on
the simplicity of the layout--because let’s face it, it was
already 11:30, I should have been
calling it a night, and I wanted to do a good
job and end up with something nice…but
it couldn’t take hours and hours. So I cracked open my brand new crayons—and seriously,
is there anything better than a fresh box,
with the points all perfect and the possibilities wide open? Before the inevitable
occurs: the popular shades (your bright,
crisp Primaries and Secondaries) get used repeatedly, and worn down, while their…less appealing cousins (Tan…boring! Muddy orange…ick!) remain unappreciated and virtually untouched? Or
is that just me? Am I going all…nerd-nostalgic…on y’all? (Sorry…where
was I?)
Yeah…I pulled out my white sheet of untapped
potential…and started scribbling
all over that sucker. Hahahahahaha! Whew, just
kidding! Now, I don’t recall what kind of…color…er…I used to be in my
misspent youth, but as a big kid, I remain vigilant so that I stay strictly within the lines. Moreover, I
do my best to evenly cover all of the
blank space, with neat, precise strokes.
You know what this means, right? OH MY GOSH MY CONTROL-FREAK TENDENCIES EVEN
SPILL OVER INTO A CHILD’S RECREATIONAL ACTIVITY, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!
Well...that
was certainly an eye-opening bit of self-revelation, let me tell ya. But
wait, it gets worse—I even found
myself making sure that I put aside
the colors I’d already chosen, so
that I wouldn’t repeat. Oh, and I tried
to plan the pattern so the hues that
ended up next to each other didn’t clash. Sigh…at least I can state
with great conviction that I did, indeed, find it to be a peaceful, rewarding exercise, (even with the…compulsive organization… factored in….) and seeing the finished
product brought immense satisfaction.
So I can now send my good wishes off into the Universe
(or, you know, “South Carolina”) and hope that they bring a smile to my mother-in-law when she opens
the envelope. Maybe she’ll even hang it on her refrigerator—won’t that
be a funny conversation when neighbors come by to check on her? “Oh, how sweet! Did your grandsons make that for you?” “Um…no…it’s from their mother. Noooo, she’s not undergoing art therapy as part of a mental health program…she’s just…expanding her horizons, or something…”
In fact, I enjoyed the experience so much, I’m going to
tackle a more intricate design next
time. Oooh…it might just require more than my 16 Mermaid Shimmer roster…and also more than 10 minutes before bedtime. So if a one-of-a-kind, made-for-you
creation shows up in your mailbox,
you’ll know it’s from yours truly.
Feel free to display it in your kitchen…and tell visitors whatever you want about your goofy
friend from Chapel Hill! (I’ll be
too Zen to mind….while still coloring inside the lines, mind you…)
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