When you feel somber and perhaps deprived, this is a signal to be good to yourself. You are taking life too seriously. You are wearing black or dark gray. Find a happier color, pastel or bold. There are so many shades of green. Pick one that makes you smile. Pink is good. Yellow is fabulous. How many colors are there? You have so many colors to choose from. Throw out the dark colors, and brighten your life.

We are talking about your life. Perhaps you don’t appreciate your life right now. Here is a tonic. What flower would you like to be? So many flowers to choose from.

A dandelion always likes to be picked. A dandelion is so peppy. Always a good choice. Maybe you like buttercups better. Doesn’t matter. It’s up to you.

How about an iris or violets by the dingle? Lavender and bluets?

How about wild roses and rose petals and rose petal jam? Or a huge pink peony?

Take a walk and pick a flower. Put it in your lapel.

This is life We are celebrating. Have a feast. What is your favorite food? Have it! Celebrate today. You are not at a funeral. You are here today to value life.

Always say thank you for gifts given to you. Do not be resistant to gifts given to you. Recognize a gift when you see one.

Dance. Sing. Skip-to-my-lou. Make up a jingle or a slogan. Live today to your heart’s content.

Today is for you to play in. Today is for you to enjoy. So, then, enjoy. Enjoy this moment of today, and then the next and the next. Take off on today. Fly high. In fact, soar. No dragging. No crawling. Get a rise out of today. Today was created for you.

You have been given a good-sized piece of paper to paint on. Paint something nice. What you paint is your offering to God. Offer Me some glory. What would you like today to look like? We come back to colors. Today is colorful. Make of today a painting that you would like to keep.

Paint a mural. Paint portraits. Whatever the season, make it a season of joy.

Paint a portrait of a garden.

You give many reasons why a day is not happy for you. Excuses all. If you can’t be happy by chance, be happy by intention. Tell Me truthfully. Did you intend today to be a good one or were you waiting to leave today to prove itself to you?

Were you going to say: “See? Here’s what today brought. Not what I wanted at all.”

One way or another you choose the colors of your day. You choose the colors of your day, or you cross your arms across your chest and just wait to see what it looks like as if it were the stock market. And if the day isn’t pretty, then you can complain about it. You can say more of: “Look at the day I had today. Everything went wrong.”

I have heard you think or say: “Today is the worst day I have ever had.” You knew that wasn’t true, for you were picking out a few impasses and forgetting the sunlight that filled the world or the rain that watered the flowers.

Anticipate days where everything goes right. And if everything doesn’t go right, see what does go right and paint more of that.

Be upbeat. Your posture invites. Drag yourself around, and what kind of day do you think you will get? Step lively, and watch your day change its colors.

You are the harbinger of your own day. What kind of day are you anticipating today? Look for all your favorite colors of the rainbow, and wrap yourself in them.

Have a good day.