Hot Dates with my Husband

Love, Peace 1 Minute

First, go to an art supply store and buy yourself some Prismacolor Premier colored pencils. Truth be told, I bought some years ago for my son, and when they went unused, I decided to color. Last coloring extravaganza—2016ish. The Prismacolor Premiers haven’t aged a day.

I suppose, mindfulness was my goal. I didn’t put that much thought into pulling the coloring book and colored pencils from the drawer of my nightstand. My brain was locked and loaded, practically shot, with back to school info. and all the details of a brand new job and 200+ new names. I teach high school, and I had taken a two-year sabbatical since the last time I stepped into my own classroom. My brain is two years older. Technology is ever changing.

I started in the center of a rather intricate design, the first page of the book. Suddenly, there was no past. No future. Just picking colors. Sharpening pencils as needed. Pressing harder for effect. An occasional thought snuck in to guilt me: Shouldn’t you be going through the mail on the kitchen table? When was the last time you mopped? But there was a calm satisfaction in my attention to pattern and juxtaposition of hue.

My husband looked on. “Can I have a turn?” he said. Over the course of thirty two years, not once had we colored together. But how could I deny him my new-found peace of mind? I passed the book and the tin box of Prismacolors. And I watched as he wrestled over his choices. I bit my tongue when I would’ve chosen differently. I smiled instead. Sometimes in marriage a wife or husband must relinquish control. He colored a particular pattern and passed it all back to me. My turn. His turn. My turn. His turn. Jeep’s Blues played in the background. In this way we passed a Saturday.

And perhaps a Sunday.

And another Saturday.

And perhaps another Sunday.

Published by Crystal Byers

When I was young, my dad would always say, "Crystal, you can choose your attitude." One day I chose to believe him.

Published

43 thoughts on “Hot Dates with my Husband”

  1. I love this so much! 🙂 It’s wonderful you found something you enjoy doing and your husband also gave it a shot as well. At the beginning of pandemic I was very muddled and constantly overthinking. I thought the best way to ease my anxiety was colouring and I was right! I really got into it for a while with the drawings, colouring, pens, crayons and markers 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  11. Vibrant, Crystal. In multiple senses.

    There are those deep, thirsty colors, drinking in the viewer’s fascination. Then there’s the mutually-creative quality time you and your husband enjoyed. Maybe one of your best dates ever? Also, the sparkling vibe you’ve given us.

    Even in the strictly mechanical sense, colors always have riveted my attention. Remember those mega-packs of 200 or so Crayola crayons we used? Many an exquisite afternoon was spent in their sway, in the obsession they created. Even now, decades later, I still get a buzz.

    Thanks for that, Crystal! Your own creations, and your husband’s, will hum with a similarly eternal magic.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. Burnt Umber was (is?) my favorite. Not for the color, but for its lyrical description. Who knew back then, much more than learning our colors, we were getting acquainted with creative writing?

        The colors, boys soon forgot anyway. We eventually became men who recognize but two shades – khaki and un-khaki. Women, meanwhile, never forgot their lessons, and to this day still can distinguish Sky Blue and Azure.

        Oh, I fully admit my parents’ indulgence in buying me that Crayola ultra-pack. It was a Christmas gift, as I recall. Still, quite an investment back in the 70s. It had to have set them back $25, which in those days could’ve bought a new house.

        Liked by 1 person

      1. I hear you, Crystal. One of my classmates in the 2nd grade had a huge box. It even had a sharpener built in! My mom (a first grade teacher) said I didn’t need all those colors. I was super envious of my class mate.

        Liked by 2 people

  15. Sometimes I used to print off a few of my favorite coloring pages and let my students have a 15 minute mindfullness coloring session. They loved it! Hope all is going well with your new classes. I hear you on the technology changes, that about did me in! Sending my love, C

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I have also colored with my students from time to time, like once a year if even that. I love the idea of some regular sessions. I have a tendency to over plan and then rush certain assignments. I could use a purposeful slowdown.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Thank you, Narayan. Just some light-hearted fodder in comparison to your corner of the world. I’m catching up on your posts and praying for you, and those near you, peace, health, and safety.

      Like

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s