FIND A SHORTCUT TO YOUR HAPPY PLACE

For the most part I have always been what some call a "chipper" person. I have managed to handle just about everything that has been thrown our way (and we've had our share) without losing my glass-is-half-full outlook. I do, however, have an Achilles Heel. I know myself well enough to realize that I could never be a cop, a paramedic, a social worker, one of the search & rescue people who have been combing the shores of the Blanco River this week, or pretty much anyone who has to deal with the horrors of the world on a daily basis. If I had a job like that, I would surely sink into a pit that I could not climb out of. Just hearing the stories and seeing the pictures is enough to have me teetering on the edge. That's why I have so much admiration for our friends the Sanfords, and their kids, who have always had jobs such as these. They are my heroes. Which brings me to this.

Have you heard about the new coloring books for adults that are all the rage right now? I haven't come across one yet, but I did pick up one of these postcard sets at Michael's a while back.

They had several different themes, but these Balinese motifs were the ones that jumped out at me, having lived in Indonesia a couple of times. Once I brought them home, I all but forgot about them, getting caught up in art projects for a class I was taking, taking our little beach trip, etc. But then, as you may have heard, all Hell broke loose here in our little town of Wimberley. Once that happened, I couldn't seem to focus on much of anything, other than the steady stream of horror scrolling down my computer screen. Usually, just about any kind of art takes me to my happy place, but I just couldn't seem to focus enough to start a new project of any kind. So I pulled out these cards instead. I didn't have to decide what to create or how to do it. All I had to do was color.

I was shocked to discover how soothing and meditative the process was.

Try it! You just might find a shortcut to your Happy Place.