So What’s Your ‘Thing’?

It is week twenty-four in our fifty week calligraphy challenge and we were limited to only on tool, a blue or black ball point pen. For a woman who probably has over a thousand pens/tools (not kidding) this was a great challenge. It is easy to be creative when you can do anything with anything. It is more of a test when your options are limited. I Googled quotes about the colors blue and black and these words from Johnny Cash seemed to say it all. I started out highlighting the word ‘comfortable’ on my first couple rough drafts. As I felt like I was forcing things I moved my focus to the word ‘black’ and it all came together. In fie words Johnny Cash has spoken volumes.

Mr. Cash was criticized a great deal about always wearing black. People told him it was depressing, it got old, and it limited the way he could be lit on stage. He didn’t care, he was comfortable in black. It was his way of doing it his way, so everyone else could shove it. (He would have utilized a certain finger on his hand to demonstrate his thoughts on the topic.) He built his career by doing it his way. It eventually became his signature color and his fans expected to see ‘The Man in Black’ and loved it!

Sometimes without knowing it we do or say something that becomes our defining trait. A saying, an accessory, an attitude, or even what we like to eat. People know that about us and they find comfort and joy in knowing us that well. We cannot control it unless we stop saying or doing that ‘thing’. It is a good friend or someone who loves us who communicates our ‘thing’ so we are aware and understand it’s impact. This all sounds great unless the ‘thing’ is a real negative and it really turns people off. Hopefully someone tells us about these things sooner rathe than later.

So what is your ‘thing’? What do you think it is AND who can you ask that will tell you the truth? Being self-aware and working to become a better version of ourselves takes effort and support. It also takes being comfortable in your skin, or the color black, whichever one works for you.