A young friend posted on Facebook this morning that she hates life and for someone to f*** off.  I was astonished as this was one young lady I thought pretty much had it together.  I have no idea what prompted this statement, but I do know I have felt that way.  Coming for the other end of the age spectrum, I could only comment, "ooh. hands folded. experience has told me it does get better."  Not probably what she wanted to hear right then.  But what I hoped it communicated was, yes, it does suck once in a while.  But it really does get better....better with experience.  Life does go on.  It does drain you of every ounce of vital life energy you have sometimes, but, if you push through, it does get better.  Really.  If nothing else, experience has taught me that.

Here is why I am grateful for experience.   It has taught me that nothing lasts forever, not pain, not joy, not anger, not even passion.  What these things do, however, is morph into something else.  It is often called experience, but what it really is, is you.  You are your experiences.  Experience informs what you do everyday, every moment.  Without experience, we would be pure stimulus and response running around in a world that is nothing more than a flash in the pan.  We learn from our experiences.  And if we don't, well, we get to experience them again until one day we look up and realize that we are the sum total of our experiences and how we handle them.  

It is up to us every day to interpret  what life hands us to grow and to move on.  That is why we form relationships, participate in daily activities and reflect and dream.  It is up to us.  But we are not alone. So I say be grateful for whatever comes your way.  It is a lesson, whether it be pleasant or unpleasant, but it is yous to learn.  And let experience be the teacher it was meant to be.

I am grateful for color.  What would my world be like without it?   It enhances ever experience, accents every feeling, reflects every mood.  It gives life its joie de vivre (joy of life).  I know I am so very fortunate to see and feel color.

I recently painted the interior of my home.  Years ago I had painted everything white, navajo white to be exact.  It was a pleasant, neutral color (or lack of color), that reflected who I was at the time.  That's not me any more.  I am colorful.  Yep, me.  The inner artist is emerging.  No matter how hard I try to supress it, it will out.

My living room is yellow, happiness, hospitality, light.  My dining room is red, hope, passion, happiness.  I hear red stimulates the appetite.  My den and bedroom are shades of green.  Spring, peace, tranquity.  My bathroom is blue.  Life-giving, good health.  What's interesting is the somehow knew these things innately without studying a chart like the one pictured here.  This makes be realize we just need to listing to our intuition when coloring our world.

Ultimately, I know that color is indeed one of the things for which I am most grateful.  It is one of the ture blessings of life.