Colors – Day 1

Imagine a world in black and white, maybe gray. Boring, isn’t it? But some of us want our emotional lives to be like that.

A friend told me about a song he played in the car while driving with co-workers. It was a song about the richness of life—the high points (marriage, the birth of children) and the low points (death and loss) and how good it all was.

“One of the guys in the car wondered how you could possibly consider loss good,” my friend said. “I tried to explain, but I’m not sure he got it.”

I understood. All our experiences are rich colors that make a full life.

Have you ever cried so hard that you thought you would never stop? Have you ever laughed so hard you cried? Have you ever known someone you didn’t want to live without—a friend, lover, or relative? Have you ever been so forlorn you thought you’d never be happy again? And just when you were about to lose hope—or right after you did—your Higher Power came through? Have you ever felt so angry while driving that when a streetlight went out, you thought your anger did it? Have you ever felt so angry you wanted to break something, stomp, or spit? Have you ever wanted something so badly—like sobriety—and been so afraid you couldn’t have it you were willing to go to any lengths to achieve success?

It’s important to feel all our emotions—jealousy, desire, anger, love, despair, and the taboo feelings. I know, feelings can be a pain in the neck. Feelings can make us feel ill. If we don’t feel them, they don’t go away. And it can take a while to figure out what to do with them after we notice they’re there.

Red with anger. Green with envy. Blue with sadness. The pink cloud of recovery. Go ahead. Pick a color.

Value: Please don’t settle for only black and white. Vibrant, colorful emotional health is the value this week.

From the book: 52 Weeks of Conscious Contact

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