Coloring Books

My daughter recently celebrated her 3rd birthday party and accumulated several coloring books. They vary from Mickey Mouse to Dora the Explorer. After the party, we all went over to my brother's house to hang out.

My intention in bringing the coloring book over to my brother's house was to use it as a distraction toy since it was getting close to my daughter's bedtime. (We mustn't have a cranky little lady at a guests house now mustn't we?)

I picked up the Dora coloring book and started flipping through the pages. I wondered what page my daughter would enjoy coloring. Oh, here is one with a Dora princess... Oh, here is one with Dora and her friend, Boots. With every page, I became more and more interested in the pictures these lines made. My fingers guided a wispy-sound as the pages turned. I couldn't help myself.

I tore a page out from the Dora coloring book. The page I chose was to my liking: not too much detail, but not too "babyish" either. Yes, it was perfect.

My daughter, on the other hand, had occupied herself with some other toy. So, I decided to start coloring for her in hopes that she would join in on the fun and take over the page. I laid out the crayons in front of me. Eight colors to chose from. I picked up the pink crayon.

I pressed the crayon against the paper and watched as the pressure from my fingertips created a beautiful pink stripe across Dora's ballerina dress. What a pretty pink, I thought to myself.

At first, I was half-way coloring because I was trying to sway my daughter to come over. But as she became less and less interested in the coloring, I became more and more interested. The more I colored, the more I wanted to make Dora the most beautiful ballerina in the world.

I began to outline the contours of her outfit to make the colors stand out. I utilized 9th grade art class skills such as shading and shadowing. Yes, this WOULD be the best coloring page!

As I got quiet and truly focused in on my work, my two girlfriends became interested in, well, what I was so intently interested in.

They joined me.

So there we were. Three adult women, sitting in a circle... coloring. It soon evolved into a coloring contest. The winner won nothing other than respect. She would be crowned the "BEST COLOR-ER". The judges were non other than our spouses.

My girlfriends and I had a great time together coloring. We laughed. We joked. We had girl talk not over white wine or coffee, but over 8 crayons.

There was a magical sense in the room that evening. I paused a moment and looked at my daughter and then back down at Dora's pink tutu. My daughter was busy playing with the other children. And in that moment I was watching my daughter in the midst of a playful dance, I realized that coloring brought back a bit of childhood magic.

It brought back a little bit of sunshine and carefree spirit. I felt as if I had no care in the world other than how to tie my shoes. It brought back nothing to look forward to except the next day and what's for lunch. There is nothing to be afraid of except the monsters under my bed. I can dress up like a princess and go to the grocery store without judgments. I can catch a flyball with daddy at the Rangers game. I know mommy will make a heart out of the ketchup to dip my fries in. I know that there is no one who loves me more than my parents...

Coloring brings nothing to mind and everything to my soul. I was at peace. Needless to say I didn't win the coloring contest, but I did score an idea for cheap therapy. If life has you down, pick up a coloring book.