Ode To A Box of Crayons
Remember cracking open a fresh box of crayons?
That waxy smell, the pointy colors all neatly lined up just for you - beaming up at you, murmuring, rumbling, squealing to be broken out.
You can’t wait to pick one out and get that color down. Then another and another scratching and scribbling till the page is filled.
Your inner 4 year-old is on the job and they’ve got it. They know the only thing that truly matters is to use lots of elbow grease to get that full vibrant color.
By the time the box is empty you have a finished piece born from excitement, abundance, and possibility.
It’s a whole body experience.
Do you feel it?
I do. I feel it every day in my journal. I feel it every time we have our Journal Doodle Circle.
Crayons are awesome doodle tools.
They’re not about details or getting it right. They just invite you to pick a color and have at it.
All you need to do is follow your hand. And trust your inner 4 year-old.
That’s my invitation during our Circles: Have at it. Don’t make it pretty. Don’t make it mean something.
This is not to say that what shows up is unappealing or meaningless.
We just won’t take the beaten path to get there.
We all know the analyzing, judging, problem-solving part of our brain is chronically overused.
So we make a point of thanking it for working so hard for us and we ask it to take a break.
In our Circles we’re curious about WHAT ELSE is there.
We’re interested in gaining access to a deeper part of the brain - the part that doesn’t communicate in words.
It communicates through images and emotions, gestures and movements and body sensations, colors and lines and shapes.
We dip our toes into a pool of wisdom much vaster than the thinking brain’s.
It’s a place of quiet knowing. A place of stillness, connection, truth. Of love and joy and warmth. A place of ease and grace.
You know the place.
The crayons can take us there. If we let them.
It’s meaningful. And beautiful.
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This week in our Circle three fresh crayon boxes are waiting for us: neons, bright and bolds, and metallics! I can’t wait to try them out when we meet this Wednesday. (Just kidding. I’ve been playing around with them for the past week. Neon yellow is already down to the paper.)
How about you? How long has it been since you've attacked a crayon box like a 4 year-old? You know you want to.
Better yet, join us this Wednesday in the Journal Doodle Circle while our new crayons are still fresh.
With love and support,
Mary B.
P.S. Our next Journal Doodle Circle is this Wednesday. It’s an intentional space for practicing the life-giving skill of noticing and being open to WHAT ELSE is wanting our attention. Join any time. We’d love to have you. To ask a question, hit reply to this email or click here.
