YOU ARE FREE TO TRY AGAIN
Sometimes, when painting, the colors run together in ways you did not intend. They show up on the canvas in muddy colors that don’t seem beautiful at all. You try to pull the greens and blues back to the forefront, but they are too far gone, tucked beneath layers of indistinguishable shades of grayish-brown.
And sometimes, life is that way. We set out with a clear vision and a plan, but as we get going, something goes wrong. We can’t quite put a finger on it, and we don’t have words for it, but we just know it isn’t right. And we just keep going, trying to bring back and restore what is missing.
It’s in those moments where we humbly accept that perhaps the best thing we can do is let the paint dry and then after we’ve taken a little break from trying to make something, we come back to a fresh canvas. The old canvas is still there, sitting next to our desk because we haven’t quite worked up the strength to throw it away. But even with our failure glaring up at us, we choose to make the courageous step forward and paint that first stroke of blue. We choose to trust that even though we do not know how things are going to come together, we have this moment, right here, in time, to be as attentive as we possibly can. At this moment, we have no idea if this painting will be the masterpiece, but we do know this: even if it isn’t, we will learn something from it and it will lead to the next one. There’s always the next one, and the next one, as long as we have this life. And even if we run out of paint and canvases, who says we can’t continue on with magic markers and the stack of printer paper sitting on the desk?
In life, there will be things that fall apart. And there will also be opportunities to start over, over and over again. Like the grayish mixture of paint on the messed-up canvas, there will be some pieces that are just too hard for us to single-handedly restore. But even then, the paint that fell on the floor serves as a reminder: this space, this life...this is a place where courage happens.
Yes, you mixed the wrong colors. Yes, you tried something new and it didn’t work out, but this is also true: the canvas, the paint, and the paints are still waiting for you. It’s not too late for you. You are free to try again.
Word of the Day: Effort (n): “a vigorous or determined attempt” (Oxford Languages)
Affirmation: “Today, I will trust: I am free to start over.”
Journal: What messes seem to be glaring up at you right now? What will you choose to paint despite them?
More in this week's series called "Even Here, There Is Room For Growth", only with a subscription in the Storyteller App.
Sincerely,
Morgan Harper Nichols
@thestorytellerco
@morganharpernichols
