I’m an Adult and Like to Color

Covid-19 is kind of scary right now. Cases are at an all-time high. Everyone is encouraged to wear masks and stay home. A lot of my favorite places to go (the library, the rec center, and the park) offer limited services.

While I love having my husband work from home and spend more time with my family, I admit that I get a little stir crazy and anxious at times. I honestly don’t know what to do with myself most days.

I Feel Guilty . . .

I write a lot of to-do lists and schedules to keep my regular tasks organized, but I rarely follow them. I give up and ignore about half of them because sometimes I think it won’t make any difference. After all, why should I bother scrubbing a guest bedroom toilet if no one is going to use it?

I know I should be doing things. I should be contributing to making things better in my own little corner of the universe.

But I can’t do it some days.

Trying new recipes, baking bread, and taking photos helps me a lot. It keeps me occupied and gives my brain something creative and engaging to do. But all the stress seems to sap my energy, and the idea of setting up lighting or gathering an armful of ingredients sounds like too much.

On the days when I want to shut off my brain and turn off all the awful things outside my house, I’ve discovered something that gives me just the break that I need.

I color.

I recently bought a pack of Prismacolor color pencils and a coloring book, and it has helped me a TON. It’s surprising how easy it is for me to just pull out some pencils, pick a random color, and just go nuts.

I feel a bit like a kid again, and I honestly think it’s wonderful.

All the angry voters? Gone. All the anti-maskers? Gone. All the Facebook ranters, Instagram influencers, conspiracy theorists, and anyone else who keeps shouting for attention on the Internet? Gone, gone, gone.

Just pretty pretty pencils now.