Sometimes, I think the world is out to get me. A dark cloud hovers above my head, threatening an unexpected down-pour at any time. I feel like nothing works, no-one cares, and things are just too hard.
I was in this state the other day, all curled up in bed in my fluffy pink dressing gown. My partner came over and sat on the bed, staring at me for awhile. He asked me, ‘What’s wrong?’. I replied with, ‘Everything’s wrong! I’m going to let my sister down by not going on the holiday we’ve planned and can’t tell her because she’ll be so upset with me, I snapped at Mum the other day and haven’t apologised, I’m late on a deadline and my client is going to be furious with me …’ I sigh. ‘Everything is black and miserable.’
‘Hmm, I see,’ he said nodding. ‘Everything is black.’ We both sat silently a little longer in the cloud of my misery.
Then suddenly he pushed back the fold of fluffy pink dressing gown covering my face, and said – ‘How about we make everything pink?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean, tell me the pink version. What’s the pink version of all these problems you’re facing?’
This was starting to sound like a game. And I love a good game. I couldn’t help myself starting to think of how I’d make things pink.
‘Well,’ I slowly began, ‘I guess the pink version with my sister is that she’ll understand the reasons that I can’t go on our trip, and maybe we’ll be able to do it another time.’
He grins encouragement.
‘And if I apologise to Mum she’ll probably forgive me straight away because she loves me.’
Gaining momentum now, I tackle the last one. ‘In the pink version of my deadline, the client won’t mind too much if I push it out a couple of days. I can maybe even do some work on it tonight.’
I start to smile. Wow. Everything looked so much better pink!
Black, things looked hopeless, dark, impossible and scary.
Pink, things were manageable, doable, ok.
Next time you feel like your problems are overwhelming, try and make them pink.
Be Pink.