Life is Like a Box of Crayons

In my meditation this morning, Forrest Gump came to me. And he said what he always says. “Life is like a box of chocolate. You never know what you’re gonna get.” Well, I love me some Forrest, but this time I thought, you are dead wrong on this one, wise friend! And I think you need my enlightened opinion on the matter.

So I said back to him, “Oh Forrest. No, no, no! Life is like a box of crayons. You get to choose from a bunch of colors and create your life away!”

Yes, I have conversations in my head with fictional characters while I meditate. Don’t judge.

Honestly, I think the truth is somewhere between the two philosophies. I learned a long time ago, while studying metaphysics, that life is not happening TO me, but instead, life is happening THROUGH me. It is always, always, always my choice how I react to a situation or experience, even if it appears to be devastating, chaotic, and downright ugly.

The filter through which I see the world is my own Conscious Mind, one with Infinite Loving Spirit. When I can really know and accept this, down in my bones, I am free to see everything that comes down the pike in a new way, with a New Thought mentality. A great example of this is the recent transition of my amazing dad, Herman Steinberg.

Dad passed suddenly of a massive heart attack, with no warning, at a young age. My family has taken it very hard because we were all extremely close to him. It is so easy to fall right into self-pity, sadness and despair. He was too young, it’s not fair, how can I go on with out my champion?

My crayon choices in this situation can get really dark; the black and blue of the deep pain, the brown and grey mucky feelings of anger and hurt. I can even go to a bright red of blame and guilt and shame if I choose.

But the crayons I pick up around my Daddy’s death are bright, happy colors. I choose yellow, green, and purple! I will draw a big sun above his head in my mind and remember the light he was and still is in this world. Using the green I will create a beautiful field around him representing how much he got to see me grow in recent years. And with the purple I will color big stars around his head, remembering how he sparkled, and how proud he was of my sparkle that I inherited from him. I can CHOOSE to think of all the good he brought to me, the lessons he taught me, and be grateful that I had such a fantastic father figure for so many years.

So yes, life is somewhat box-of-chocolatey. It certainly can be surprising. But how I choose to draw over the situation, memory or feeling with my Conscious Mind is entirely up to me. I choose to live life in color, and you can too! So break out the crayons and get busy thinking rainbows of joy, peace, and love!

Amy Steinberg is Creative Abundance actualized – she sings, writes, dances, draws and paints on the daily. Living from this space of artistic exuberance, Amy travels the world spreading her wildly inspiring original music, while teaching theater, leading choir, and creating programs. In March, Amy is heading to Chicago to become Creative Arts Director of the Bodhi Center.