We are in charge of our lives. We make choices every day that lead us to where we want to be. Life is like a canvas; we are the artists of our lives. We paint the person we want to be. Or we paint the person we think we should be. Or we paint the person we think others want us to be.
Are you painting the life you want? Have you chosen a large enough canvas? Are you too stingy with the paint? What color are you painting on the canvas of your life? Blue? Red? Purple? Are you painting flowers? Or dirt? Is the life you are painting happy? Or sad? Or anxious?
We tell our stories through what we paint on the canvas. Others will know us by what we paint. They will judge us by the colors we use or don’t use. What stories are you telling? Have you changed the facts to fit the story? Or have you altered the story to fit the facts?
Are the pictures of your life filled with people? Or animals? Is your life a landscape empty of people and animals? Do you prefer the solitude of the mountains or the splashing of waves against the shore?
Are you timid in how you approach life? Or do you rush full speed ahead and ignore the red flags popping up everywhere? Do you splash the paint on the canvas? Or do you make tiny delicate strokes with your brush?
Can you visualize your future? Do you know what you want to paint on the canvas of your life? Do you know what color you want your life to be? Are you only painting the surfaces of your life? Or are you exploring the depths of your soul? If we look into your eyes, what will we see?
Every day we pick up the paintbrush and add a few strokes of paint to our self-portrait. Is your self-portrait a true picture of who you are? Do you need to change the paint brushes that you are using? Or do you need to use different colors that better reflect your character and inner beauty? Are you painting the picture you want to paint?
In one sense, we all are artists. We create the lives we lead. While we may not have any control over what happens to us, we do have control over how we respond to what happens to us. How we respond creates the person we become.
When you reach the end of the road one day and you look back at your life, what is the legacy you have left behind? What kind of person have you become? Will you be a cranky, grumpy old drunk or a kind, caring matriarch? Will you dance with laughter or fret over your husband never putting down the toilet seat? We all make choices in life and those choices create the lives we lead.
Our lives are works of art. What color are your memories? How many wrinkles line your dreams? Do your hopes have arthritis? What are you doing today that will create your legacy tomorrow? What decisions are you making today that will form the core of your character?
Life is about growth and change. What lessons are you learning that will change your life? Your life is a canvas. Pick up your paintbrush and start painting. Live the life today that you will be proud of when you are 103.