Color makes me happy. I have never done a bible study (picture below) where I marked over the words of my bible so much. I mean, I LOVE my journaling bible but pretty much stay in the margins. Color coding so many different colors on so much scripture just felt a little weird when I started. But then I realized, the whole reason I bought this bible was to get more hands on. I wanted to write, takes notes, decipher, and learn in a way I hadn’t done before. I wanted to step out of the box of how I had always studied.
Seeing the pages of my bible so colorful makes me smile. So much so in fact, that I decided I was going to try to add more color all throughout my day, to get out of my margins a little bit and be more hands on. I want to color my whole day happy.
Below is a list of things that added color to my day… to the everyday. Things that ordinarily seem mundane, but for today became a little more vibrant and noticed.
1-I used one of my favorite coffee mugs this morning. I bought it on a stop we made in Luckenbach, Texas on a girl’s trip. I love Texas, I love country music, I love time with my girlfriends, and I love Willie Nelson’s songs. I smile every time I use this mug, which was handcrafted by a local artisan.
2-I grabbed a different pair of tennis shoes to wear to my jazzercise class. I haven’t worn them in forever because I prefer the fit of my others, but I love, love, love the colors of these! Every time I looked down while teaching class, I smiled. I’m happy to be back with my jazz friends, getting stronger each day, and working on my physical health. Coming off of an injury, I am feeling grateful that I can exercise. On a different note, yes those are mismatched socks in the worst way. You can check out my thoughts on letting go and living surrendered on one of my earlier blog posts. All because of a pair of mismatched socks.
3-I listened to different music on my way to class today. My ipod is my lifeline for jazzercise. It is loaded with SO many great songs that I get to teach routines to. I skipped around my playlists, finding songs I haven’t listened to in a while. Good music always makes you smile!
4-I brought my water bottle with me while I had to wait on an oil change at the car place. Any other day the red blinds probably would have gone unnoticed as just part of the whole car waiting room décor, but for today, they make for a nice contrasting backdrop for my pretty blue water bottle (I’ve got a previous blog post about that, too!). I mean, really, when is the last time I’ve seen bright red blinds in a window?
5-I easily noticed the green summer grass! I walked out to our back patio this morning, to water a plant that my mom gave me for Mother’s Day. When I looked over to this exact spot in the photo, THERE WAS A SNAKE! It’s head was sticking up from underneath the edge of the patio. I screamed and he went back under as quickly as I could get back inside. The part of this that’s outside of my margins? I took this photo after GOING BACK OUTSIDE. I faced a fear (felt a little heebie-jeebie-ish while I did so) but I got the plant watered. It was the fastest watering job ever, but for now I’m calling it Me-1, Snake-0.
6-These simple containers will be filled tomorrow with fresh fruit for church on Sunday. I helped start a health and wellness ministry at our church a couple of years ago. It is something near and dear to my heart. One part of what we do is provide healthy alternatives to donuts on Sunday morning. I LOVE our MOVE Ministry- what we do, the people that participate with us, and meeting new friends. It makes me smile OFTEN.
7- Laundry! Typically I would look at this table covered with clothes that I need to fold and think, “ugh!”. But today, I just noticed the COLORS. 99% of the time I don’t look favorably at folding clothes. But while focusing on coloring myself happy today, and thinking OUTSIDE of my usual margins, I felt grateful for this variety of colors. They represent four healthy daughters and a healthy hubby.
8-My lunch today. Yummy! I had fresh summer foods and a shrimp burger (my new favorite that I will be blogging about soon). Eating a rainbow- from God’s garden, not a skittle bag- made me happy. It made my insides feel happy. And how lucky am I that I can get all of this right down the street at the grocery store. 🙂
9- A lovely gray rain shower. Gray CAN be happy. Summer showers are perfect for snuggles and movies and forts. Even the pups like to get in on it. And it leads to…
10- Snacks! Yummy yogurt dessert to be exact. It’s been my go-to sweet treat since I started Weight Watchers. You can’t see the chocolate chips in it but they’re a must. The pretty colorful flower bowl made it all cheery and good, especially on a rainy afternoon.
11- Like they say, our kids- they’re watching us. This is my youngest lunch plate- she wanted to make it pretty and colorful “like mom does”. She even cut one of her strawberry slices into a heart. My older daughter also snap chatted me a picture of her pretty food plate. (But I’m new to SC and still learning the ins and outs and did not get a screenshot).
12- Riding shotgun. This one could be bittersweet if I let it, but I’m not. It’s happy in a different kind of way, a color I really haven’t used before. My oldest daughter now has her permit and is wanting to drive us EVERYWHERE. On one hand, it’s great to be chauffeured after 17 years of driving. On the other, we are now THERE…. watching our child gain her independence and confidence to go out on her own into the world. Today, I’m coloring my world with the joy of watching her blossom. I will cherish this sweet spot of her getting-ready-to-fly-but-not-quite-yet. And I will enjoy the ride.
Today was a good day. I went about my usual habits and errands with an intentional eye. I noticed things and paid attention. Little moments, big moments, mundane tasks… the everyday. It was all highlighted in different colors that meant something to me, just like the page in my bible. Yes, colors do make me happy. 🙂
DAILY STEPS BLOG 