Burnt Sienna

If you’re like me, there are some things past that you wish others didn’t have to know about – that dusty box of mistakes and heartbreaks – memories stored away neatly and labeled: “Do not open.”

I call that place my Burnt Sienna.

I wish that place wasn’t in my Crayola box, but it is.  I wish others didn’t see it, but they do…at least the ones who choose to.  It can hide among the other more vibrant colors, but it is there, nonetheless, in the corner, never been used.  Color with any crayon you want except for That One.

I have a whole beautiful box of choices!  But, eventually, people – especially those we love the most! (think family or significant other) – will get curious about the colors we show least.   I know I do about those I love.  They will reach for Burnt Sienna, and instinctively, we protect out of fear.

I know that my best work will be done when I choose to use the pretty colors out of the crayon box, as well as the Burnt Sienna that seems to smear over my masterpieces just when I think they’re almost done or getting good.

When I started this blog – i choose love – I had no idea the depth of what one little phrase could do to my life.  In every moment, becoming present to that choice is an unveiling of Truth (more to come…).

To serve from a place of love means to offer ourselves and others compassion, forgiveness, and encouragement despite the circumstances.  To be in this place, we cannot have limits on our love or the places it might go – untouchable places within our hearts, minds, or souls.

Today, Choosing Love is coloring with Burnt Sienna even though I hate it.  Yellow, magenta, and my favorite blue green (not to be confused with its calmer counterpart, green blue) are so much more pleasing.

It means coloring with Burnt Sienna because I was given a whole box of crayons to color with in life.  The myth is that only the “pretty ones” will do.  In fact, what happens when the “pretty ones” get used all the time?  Eventually, the “ugly ones” are the only ones with usable tips!

The truth is that the beauty in opening a box of Crayolas is the possibility and fullness of all those colors together as one, and that we, as artists, get to choose how we can express differently with each.

Choosing Love is discovering that Burnt Sienna is not so ugly after all.

In fact, its richness is uniquely pleasing, and when I place it next to my favorite bright and happy hues, it adds depth and character to the whole.  The dark and light together create something that one couldn’t have without the other.

I realize that “pretty” and “ugly” themselves are just judgements and that beauty…Well, beauty…is a natural fullness that is inarguable, as its mature appreciation rings true within the depth of our souls.

…and that is all I have to say about crayons.  Color on…

1 Comment

  1. It’s a Color Crayon Day! | i choose love. on March 4, 2012 at 2:22 pm

    […] thought it funny that I recently wrote a blog about crayons.  I see that I have gone back, in a sense, to find that girl who would sing at the top of her […]

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