Small Changes

I recently bought a pair of fuchsia pants. They're linen, they're fun, and I can think of about ten things I will wear with them. "Pink pants!?", someone said. "I could never wear those." And why not? It's just color...

I don't know if this is regional, but I find that a fair number of people who are browsing my tent at festivals are afraid of color. Black will always sell, blue (most shades) will always sell, but stick a red or purple or green out there and people will say, "I don't know what I would wear that with." I'm always a little surprised by this (even after all these years), because I love color and I like to mix colors up together. There's more to life than making sure your blue earrings go with your blue jeans.

It seems like such a little thing, this fear of color. But it made me wonder, how many other small fears hold us back in our lives? How many times do we do the same things (respond the same way to compliments, go about the same tasks, in the same order, reach for the same outfit - in black, white, or gray) repeatedly? And what might happen if we handled them differently? Would compliments be savored, instead of dismissed? Would we find more efficient ways to handle our tasks, so we have more free time? Would we wear...red, purple, or green?

Why not try it and see what happens? Letting go of some small fears (or at the very least, some ingrained patterns) can be very eye-opening. And small changes often lead to bigger ones. Imagine letting go of some great fear, or some perception you've been carrying, about how you "just can't" do something. Or maybe it's how you "always" do something one way. (And you always get a negative reaction...food for thought, that). Try something new today! Start with something small, and see where it leads. And then try another...

But be careful - before you know it, you might be wearing pink pants. And liking it. :)