It’s amusing really, to me, how coloring has gotten to be this adult thing now. And yes, that is one of my creations in the photo spot, done solely in Crayola, my crayon of choice. Everywhere you go there are adult coloring books. I see them in every store.
The truth is that I was a coloring fanatic longgggggg before it was an adult “thing.” I have been coloring all my life. It’s something, that as a kid, I got hooked on, and never lost my love of it.
Before adult coloring books were the thing, I always bought children’s coloring books and colored in those and my favorite tool of choice are still Crayola crayons. Yes, I can tell the difference in quality. It makes me laugh because most of my life, friends have made fun of me for my obsession, and now there are adult coloring nights at the library, and groups of people who get together to color. I see postings all the time of things people color. I always kept a coloring book and crayons on my desk at school. I used to carry emergency crayons in my purse because you never knew when a coloring emergency might happen. PS. I don’t carry them anymore, but you never know when I might start again.
Years ago, a friend told me that I needed to lose the baby books and branch into mandalas. Ummmm no thank you….. I am being honest, those teeny tiny spaces are not something I like. You have to use markers and it is too easy to get out of the lines. No, I like the big wide open spaces! I want to shade stuff, do my own thing. I need room for mistakes! Lol…..
A long time ago, I read an article that talked about the therapeutic benefit of coloring. It is a huge stress reliever and there is something about laying color down that just helps me organize my thoughts and relieve tension. My own children laugh that most of my hobbies and things I enjoy involve colors. I like to color, paint, draw, rock paintings, decorative painting on anything. I like to sew, quilt, make things with my hands, knit, crochet, garden, things like that. I also like non coloring things too, like reading and wish I could do more of that, but it’s hard during the school year. I enioy music of all kinds but especially music played live! I love the marching band in West Seneca, and community bands. I love to walk and swim at the Y. I love Pilates…. I love to sit on my porch and just BE….And truthfully, okay I am among friends, right? I love toys…
I have my own Game Boy that I still play my favorite little farming game on, called Harvest Moon. I like video games, not violent ones though. I love games on my iPad. More like children ones, but also word ones. My children laugh that for Mother’s Day and birthdays, some moms get flowers, jewelry and such, and I am happy with a gift card to Toys R Us. Or an ITunes card. Lol…. Hey! Don’t judge me…. be who you are!! Lol….
But coloring is my “go to.” And I keep a box of crayons and a coloring book by my bed. My favorite coloring spot is the porch though, and that’s my favorite summer thing. Every kid I teach knows I love to color, so every Christmas I get new books and crayons from children. And they are always making me refrigerator art!
They all laugh that the first thing I do is dump the box and sort it. I like them in the box in Roy G Biv order with all the flesh tones at the end, and any fluorescent colors. My favorite story book is, “The Day the Crayons Quit,” which I read to my big eighth graders every year because it is all about working together. I don’t like to share my box of crayons because I like to keep them chiseled to points, so I have a box of sharing crayons and one that I use myself. Lol…. you didn’t know how weird I was, did you?? Lolllllll
I have colored in those tiny little adult coloring books but I can’t do those when I am already stressed. They are fun though, with gel markers and colored pencils, just not my usual every day coloring,
I have gotten through some of the worst moments of my life with a crayon in my hand. Sometimes I just take blank paper and start. I find that I pray a lot at those times. And when I am done, I am more focused, more at peace inside myself.
During my ever life changing journey with Dr. Jack, my crayons and books have been even more important to me. Through him, I have come to realize that stress is a huge factor of health. And the truth, as you faithful followers know, I am a stress collector. Coloring has helped. Anything to bring down your stress level helps. Dr. Jack told me that he plays his trumpet every single day. I took many years of piano as a child, but one thing I always wanted to learn to play was the violin or the flute. Maybe I will someday!
Whats your stress hobby? What do you mean you don’t have one? No wonder you feel awful!! Find one….. everyone needs some outlet. Every single one of us….