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I’m working on the new website and dealing with all the headaches that entails.

And I broke a toe.

I keep waiting for a grand piano to fall on my head.

So yeah, I’m not writing a fresh article anytime soon. Enjoy this golden oldie from 2017. I’ve updated a few bits but it’s mostly the original text.

LIKE RIDING A BICYCLE?

Last week, we talked about our love of coloring.

Marker and pencil love is more than just a tween-age romance— this is an adult passion and we feel a mature commitment to coloring.

So naturally, when life gets in the way, we get all guilt trippy over not being able to color as often as we should. I absolutely hate seeing students stress themselves out over doing normal family and work stuff.

It’s good to be reminded that it’s just coloring. It’s a hobby. This is supposed to be fun. It’ll be here when you’re ready to color again.

And I truly meant everything I said last week.

But I’m not going to lie…

There are downsides to taking a break.

See, we like to think coloring is like riding a bicycle.

Actually, we like to think a lot of things are like bike riding. Is there any phrase more overused?

We’ve all heard it a million times, one never forgets how to ride a bicycle. But because everyone says it about everything, we usually apply it to things that are nothing like riding a bicycle.

Coloring is most definitely not like riding a bike.

And it does you a disservice to pretend it is.

“But Amy, I really needed to hear last week’s message. It made me feel soooo much better to know I can set my coloring aside for now and come back to it later when life is less messy!”

Go ahead. By all means, if you need to, put your markers back in the box, close the lid, and leave them there until you have the right headspace to color.

Time away is okay.

But let’s not pretend that everything will be the same when you come back.

See, I haven’t been on a bike in years.

And the old adage is kinda true: if get back on a bicycle, I don’t need someone running behind me, holding the seat and yelling “pedal, pedal, pedal, yes that’s it!”

Here’s where the metaphor fails:

I may know exactly what to do but that doesn’t mean I’m gonna look great doing it.

This is how it will be when you finally pick up a marker or pencil again.

Some of you will be so wobbly you’ll need someone to hold you steady and remind you what to do.

While you’re gone, your skills will atrophy.

If you’re gone long enough, some skills will disappear entirely.

To pretend that you’re not going to lose proficiency is not only dishonest, it makes it harder to pick up a marker again. You know deep down in your heart that it’s gonna be rough and you’ll put off beginning again because you can feel what’s coming.

So let’s just acknowledge it, okay?

Time off may be exactly what you need right now but it’s not without consequences.

It’s going to be hard to start back up again and when you do, you’re going to hate the way your coloring looks for weeks or even months.

You can’t just climb back on the bike and pedal away as if nothing happened.

And don’t think I’m only talking here about the people taking extended breaks…

I haven’t picked up a marker or colored pencil in almost four weeks. It may be another 2 weeks before I’m done dealing with this mess.

I’m losing skills right now, as I type this.

It’s not a bike. It’s reality.

I’m not telling you not to take a break.

Do what needs doing.

Or take that vacation. Please don’t make your husband hate me for dragging 32 pounds of markers across four states because “Amy said I can’t stop coloring!”

Let’s just be real about what’s gonna happen when you get back.

You’ll be rusty. Your coloring will look different. You won’t be able to do what you used to do.

But hmmmm…

Maybe that’s not a bad thing?