I am suffering from depression, anxiety, insomnia, unemployment and just feel downright BLAH! I have gone to see my doctor to repeatedly be bombarded by prescriptions. Here take this drug it will make you all better. In the meantime it has 500 side effects. Of course the best of all is it can cause anxiety! Hey, just what I needed some more of. My favorite side effect is in the beginning it may cause thoughts of suicide. I think the “magical pill” will be more detrimental to my health than me. So seventy dollars and fifteen minutes later I leave the office with samples and scripts. I don’t fill them. The doctor will be mad. I have not taken anything he has prescribed me. He might just have to figure out the root cause of my problem minus his pen and trusty prescription pad!

So, I am out at Wally World with my Mom. I must have been feeling reminiscent of my childhood days. I had found myself wandering around the toy department. I was longing for a nice, big, fluffy teddy bear. There were no teddy bears in sight so I looked at puzzles. I looked at all of them and actually picked one up and decided to purchase it. I thought it would keep my mind busy especially when I am fighting with the cats to find the last piece! Well folks the puzzle has not been opened yet. It is still sitting on the table where I left it. But I also purchased two coloring books that day and a big box of crayons. I tell you there are so many styles and colors to choose from since when I was a kid. You would have thought I was buying some luxury item, not some simple crayons.  So after much studying I made my decision about the coloring books and the crayons. My mother said I had not changed since I was a kid. I guess I am still a kid at heart. I would like to think we all are!  

When I got home I started going through the coloring books. I found a picture I had decided I wanted to color. I started coloring and it did not matter what color hair the princess had. It did not matter if I colored in the lines or out of the lines. I was just coloring and with each stroke of color I could feel the tension melting from my body. I was smiling and felt a sense of serenity just from the simple act of coloring. I never knew at forty-one I would be coloring again, but I have found it to be the best therapy yet for what ails me! I went to sleep later that night not feeling as tense as I normally do. I found myself coloring again the next day. I just lost myself and allowed myself to be free from worry. The only decision I had to make was what color was I going to use next? I am not saying it is a cure all, but it definitely takes you back to your younger years. The years when you were carefree, without a worry in the world.  Speaking of which, I need to go stock up on more coloring books soon!  You should go get yourself some coloring books and some crayons and color yourself HAPPY! Don’t forget to sign your famous Picasso or Van Gogh, whatever artist you choose to be!