Collected, Colorful

collected

COLLECTED, pp.

1. Gathered; assembled; congregated; drawn together.

2. Recovered from surprise or dismay; not disconcerted; cool; firm; prepared.

 

 

I am 2 days behind, as I am travelling and had no access to the Internet last night.  Sorry about that.  However, I was no less aware of my words over the last 2 days.  

 

Collected.  Yesterday was an interesting day for me, in that I made a decision as I got ready for the day, to just let the day happen.  Keep in mind that I am not the kind of person to just go with the flow.  I am a planner. I make lists.  I like making lists.  Lists are fun.  Planning is enjoyable for me.  So, when I say that I made a decision to just let the day happen, well, that was a high-risk choice for me, especially since the word "collected" has had a bit of a "controlled" feel to me.   

 

Boy, was I off on that.  Why do I have such control issues?  This word isn't about control at all.  It's about inviting, about fellowship, about oneness.  By making the decision to just let the day happen, it opened up more opportunity for truly enjoying people, not for what they had to offer, but simply because they are who and what they are.  

 

I gathered 2 of my closest friends together.  I collected them.  I brought them together.  I was firm and prepared to stick to my decision to just "be" with them and see where the day led us.  We laughed, we solved the world's problems, we pigged out on salad (can one pig out on salad? Is salad a pig out food?), we spoke of lofty and heavenly things, expressed love to one another, drove around and wasted gasoline, went and spent money, watched one of our friends open her birthday present, tried to go to the movie, but got the time wrong, etc.  It was a blast. We gathered feelings of good will.  We were drawn together by a force of fellowship and love.  It was a beautiful day.  And even though we missed the movie, I was not dismayed or disconcerted.  I loved every minute of time I had with my friends.  

 

I don't think "collected" means to be prim and proper.  I actually think it is a word of ease, a word that ALLOWS us to gather together, to draw together, to be firm, cool, prepared for whatever the day may throw at us.  Had I made a list, created an agenda for myself yesterday, if anything had interfered with it I would have been dismayed, disconcerted.  

 

I'm not saying that we shouldn't have a plan, but perhaps it would be easier to not be taken by surprise if we were prepared for anything to happen, prepared for surprises.  

 

I REALLY liked this word.  Collected.  It helped me stay focused on gathering my thoughts.  I think I enjoyed being collected today.

 

 

 

 

 

col·or·ful  (klr-fl)

adj.

1. Full of color; abounding in colors: colorful leaves in the fall.

2. Characterized by rich variety; vividly distinctive: colorful language.

 

 

 

Full of color.  I was looking for colors today.  I was looking for green leaves and grass, the yellow of the sun, the red hues in the sunset, the browns in the soil.  Well, I'm in blackfoot.  Not a lot of green trees where I'm staying.  Lots of dusty weird-colored Russian Olive trees.  Lots of brown grass, considering we're in a drought.  And the sky was overcast most of the day, so the yellow and brightness of the sun was obscured.  I was disappointed.  The places I expected to find color, I found very little.  

 

When am I going to learn that I can't MAKE these words happen to my own understanding?  The words have a life of their own.  Why do I continually try to shape them to what I think they should be?  Like, duh!  

 

I am beginning to realize that if I simply look for what the word is trying to tell me, I get much more out of it, it is easier to connect to.  

 

Colors are adjectives, always describing something.  Today I was orange.  Or at least my shirt was.  But the shirt was on me, making me appear to be orange to the naked eye.  But my pants were blue.  So that made me orange and blue today.  Today I was orange and blue!  Jennifer was yellow.  She wears yellow well.  Little Eva is blonde.  I didn't notice her clothing today, as she changed over three times into something new each time, but I did notice her beautiful California blonde hair.  Today, Eva's I.D. in my mind was blonde.  Plaited blonde. 

 

It is so hot here, over 100 degrees.  Everyone here is flushed and glistening with sweat.  I think that I will name 2 more colors.  Flushed.  Glistening.  Faces held a heat-induced flush and their skin glistened with sweat.  It was quite attractive on most of us. Even me.  It was color.  Our cheeks and faces were full of color.  Colorful.   

Color brings things to life.  Being void of color indicates something is dead.  Color has luster.  Death erases luster.  

I could actually HEAR color today.  Even my ears were full of color.  Vibrant sounds abounded.  I could hear crickets, locusts, cicadas.  I could see vibrancy in all around me today.  

I would say that colorful could go hand in hand with contrast.  My orange shirt is quite bright.  I'm certain blind people could see me coming with a shirt like that.  Bright enough to penetrate even the most unseeing eyes.  Yep, it was one of THOSE orange shirts.  Make the blind see, or the seeing blind.  Quite loud.  In contrast, Jennifer's soft yellow shirt had a more calming effect than my hunter safety shirt.  And yet both were noticeable, both briefly enhanced our identity for the day.  

I'm glad I'm learning to let these words speak for themselves instead of me having to arrogantly try to make them fit into my own understanding.  I like that phrase...Let the words talk.  "Colorful" talks.  I like it's language.  Vibrant. Alive.  Color means that I'm alive.  I live.  I am colorful.