You may have noticed that I’ve been on a bit of a kick with lessons from childlike places and spaces and today is more of the same. Buckle up, Buttercup because there’s a good chance that in sharing this reflection you’re gonna see me coming down your lane.

Raise your hand if you, like me, are a woman who works.

🙋🏽‍♀️

Now, keep your hand up if you are also in relationship with another living being. (human, animal, plant, it all counts)

🙋🏽‍♀️

Now, keep your hand up if in addition to handling all of your responsibilities to your work and your loved ones you also get a full restful night of sleep EVERY night, have personal time to make sure you’re tuned into your inner place of peace daily, you eat well, stay fit through exercise and can honestly say you are satisfied with all aspects of your life.

👀

Seriously, don’t be shy, cause if your hand is still up I need to holla at you sometime in the near future so I can run you some money and get tips on how you got to my dream state of being.

My emotions of late have had me reflecting hard on many of the tools I learned as a child that helped me to self regulate and discipline myself to navigate through challenging situations. Speaking with my hands through writings and pictures has always brought me a measure of peace in the midst of storms. Even now as an adult there is a certain brand of calm that rolling a crayon between my fingers evokes.

The act of drawing lines is an expression of here and there.

When I felt adrift and free falling floaty as a child, I could draw a line that could become a ship to carry me back to shore. Or perhaps the line could become a fortress to provide safety and shelter until the siege was over.

A line can serve as a boundary of protection.

These are the colorful lines I once retreated to for space and healing. A line drawn around in a circle that signifies that for a time none could pass without permission.

Red circle for the thread of my heart.

Yellow band for the clarity of my thoughts.

Green ring for the balm of my physical body.

Pink polka dotted patterned round for every soft and sweet intention.

Gunmetal gray washed bowing encases the outerward wall between my here and their there.

Centered in a rainbow rounded family of lines, I crossed my legs and meditated on would happen next…

How many times did I do this as a child? How many times did I retreat within my fortress to find my bearing, rest and sharpen my sword for the next campaign?

Why does it seem so much harder to draw these lines as an adult?

Perhaps it truly is time for me to pull out my crayons 🖍 again.

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Marta is an award winning filmmaker, writer and producer committed to sharing the rich and complex stories of America’s Heartland region.  Marta wears several hats as Chief Creative-in-Charge of MartaGwyn Productions, LLC as well as the Co-Founder and Senior Grant Writer of Youngblood and Associates, LLC and Chief Operations Officer of Marta Collier Educational Systems and Services, LLC.

Marta is also the founder and editor-in-chief of TheWRITEaddiction.  An online community of writers that publish creative and inspirational works daily at www.TheWriteAddiction.com.

Marta is an alumna of The Ohio State University and Tougaloo College with degrees in Sociology and English-Journalism and resides in Little Rock, Arkansas, with her husband and unconventional college sweetheart of 10 years, Terrance Youngblood.