Sunday is my favorite day for caring for myself, body, mind and soul. It’s been a wonderfully restful day, spent mostly at home except for an excursion to greet my daughter Elissa at a welcome home celebration. She attended a women’s retreat over the weekend and the tradition is to have family present when the ladies return, to cheer and hug and give tokens of love. I rejoiced over Elissa’s bright and beautiful face as she climbed off the bus. She was tired…who sleeps on retreats…but happy. Perhaps she will do a guest blog post for me someday, and share her soulful experiences, because it is her story to tell.
I arrived back home, just as the sun was sinking. And I knew precisely how I wanted to conclude this gorgeous day. Tonight another Supermoon will grace the sky. And not only is this a full moon that appears larger than normal, it is a full lunar eclipse as well. I wanted to be outside to watch for it. It was the perfect evening for another activity that I’ve been wanting to do as well, out in the garden…color.
I started a cozy little fire, that soon blazed into a cheerful roaring fire, and brought out an unsweet tea from Sonic, my colored pencils, and a new coloring book that I have enjoyed this weekend. The book is The Time Garden, by Daria Song. The pictures are detailed, which I love, and each page tells the story of a little girl who journeys, via her father’s antique cuckoo clock from Germany, to magical places. It’s a whimsical collection of pages to color. I completed the first page today, after beginning last night. I started on a fresh page, in my own enchanted garden.
I am totally captivated by coloring in these books for adults. The colored pencils give me a lot of freedom to mix colors as I add layers and create subtle shading for interest and depth. I love how being creative awakens an artistic side deep within my soul. My senses are more acute. As I was driving this afternoon I noticed colors and textures and the play of light on the old buildings in downtown Webb City. I observed more keenly, noting how shadows form there beneath the eaves of a tall brick storefront, so I could duplicate the effect later with my pencils.
I stood to peer over the fence as the sun slipped below the horizon. It was beautiful. And I studied the sky, awash with colors, thinking about how to best capture such a stunning sight. I like how an act as simple as coloring has a profound effect on me, shifts me, opens me to more possibilities, more beauty in the world.
In the darkness, relieved only by the glow through the neighbor’s windows and the flickering firelight, I sit at peace, with myself and with my world, and watch the eastern sky. The moon has appeared and the earth’s shadow is crossing her shining face. My cat Shy Boy has claimed my lap and enjoys the night with me, staring into the fire. What a magical evening.
