Many many years ago, I read Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way and began a practice of writing morning pages. Each morning, I get a mug of coffee, settle into a time of meditation, and then write three long-hand pages in a composition book. Morning pages have no agenda. All I have to do is show up to them, write three pages, and move on with my day. They give me the chance to release swirling thoughts, capture scenes outside my window, complain about an issue that’s on my heart, or process anything that comes up. Almost always, I feel grateful for having written my morning pages. Yet, I am not always faithful to the practice.

The black pen I was using flowed easily and felt good to hold, but the record of my thoughts was blah blah blah.  The ‘same old same old’ quality of my internal dialogue was a black cloud of exhaust left behind by my writing. One morning, as I wrote, I offered a quite prayer to the Spirit. “Please guide me to find a new way to interact with these thoughts.” And within a few paragraphs of scrawling, the question came to me – “why do I write in black? why don’t I get some fun pens?”

So for $20, I am now the delighted owner of a set of colorful gel pens and my morning pages feel ALIVE in new ways. To try out the pens, I wrote each day in a new color, proceeding through the chakras from root to crown. I have loved experiencing the differences of writing in the new colors, and how they shape what arises to write and how I feel as I do. Now that I’ve tried each color, I’ll select my morning pen by feel.  If I’m feeling dreamy and imaginative, I may choose blue. Full of grief? Then I’ll reach for green. Lots of joy? Here comes orange!  And I have new motivation for writing my morning pages. Now they reflect the full range of my vibrant emotions and thoughts.

I invite you to try writing morning pages. You can find tons of information online to guide you in establishing this practice. And then I consider how you can make the practice even more joyful and enriching. A little color goes a long way to cultivating joy in my heart.

Hugs and blessings to you, my friends.