"Life is the art of drawing without an eraser." - John Gardner
There are many things that intrigue me, and one of them is the existence of the white crayon in every Crayola crayon box. They are basically just wax. They don't really show up on black paper, you know. That's what chalk is for. I've often pondered this, but it wasn't until this past summer that I found it laughable. I had a special needs camper named Norma who loved coloring. The thing was, she would always color with white crayons. This always made me chuckle because it was clear that her already white rabbit was not getting any whiter. And yet, the white crayon is a staple in every colorer's crayon box.
Except for Harold. As you may remember from when you were 6 years old, Harold has a purple crayon. With his purple crayon in his paper world, he drew the world as he wanted it to be and needed it to be.
He drew in windows to look out of, paths to walk on, and a bed to sleep in. He drew his favorite pies, and fearsome dragons. His world was drawn in bold purple with no eraser.
The difference between Norma and Harold goes deeper than the color of their crayons. Norma's white crayon made no difference on her page. She could safely go out of the lines without anyone noticing. But Harold's purple crayon set things in stone and unabashedly changed his reality.
So it is with life. Too often we pick the white crayon in the box so that nobody can see if we make a mistake. And what we do draw makes no difference in the scheme of things.
I urge you to opt for the purple crayon, and to draw your world unashamedly, coloring it with the things you wish to see happen, and the things that bring you joy.
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