Paint Your Life by Numbers?

Yesterday, after a walk with my friend, we wanted to do something fun, silly and crafty. This isn’t because we are good at it, but it gives us something completely different to do, it will make us laugh and we will ultimately have fun.

We chose paint by numbers. It was a kit I bought last year, but we never actually got round to doing and this weekend, my friend suggested we finally sit down and paint. So we did.

With the drinks poured and snacks a plenty we unpacked the box and picked a picture to paint – there were six in total. They were all cocktail themed – appropriate for us. We chose a picture, got our paintbrushes and opened the small pots of paint.

It took approximately two hours to paint a picture, but the time flew by. We couldn’t believe it. We truly got lost in the moment and had to concentrate as it was intricate in places. We laughed when we each had a dot of one colour – it hardly seemed worth it. But with each brush stroke and with every colour the picture built and it started looking ok.

Paint by numbers sounds simple in theory – what can go wrong? You have to have a lot of patience and focus to not going over the lines. We both agreed from a distance the paintings looked good, but close up you can see the imperfections. Star shapes were becoming diamonds or blobs, thin lines were thicker and wonky, and letters not very uniformed.

However, we were doing it for fun and a laugh, we knew our paintings were not about to hang in any gallery.

I am all for enjoying and being lost in the moment, but this isn’t what this blog is about. But I would highly recommend this activity.

Painting by numbers is a fantastic way to paint a lovely picture with help. You don’t need any skills to do it and it is easy to follow. All the parts of the picture are numbered, along with the paint. You choose the paint that matches the number and away you go.

If only life was that simple. Where you could follow an easily numbered plan for your entire life. At each point you refer to the plan and it tells you what you need to do next. At every crossroad, you don’t need to think, you just follow the roadmap and pick a number. Sadly life isn’t planned out for us. We can’t refer to a number and paint it to life.

Each twist and turn comes and we have to decide the direction we go next. It isn’t always easy and most of the time, the path is uncertain, but we trust ourselves to push on forward and make the decision that feels right at the time.

It would be lovely if we could pick a number and look it up to see where we go next. However, imagine how boring and predictable life would be if we all had a plan for every little thing. Not realistic and not fun.

We have so much choice and have to make so many decisions each day but it makes us who we are, it gives us confidence to live our life the way we want. Even if we don’t know and feel uncertain about the choice we need to make, it doesn’t matter as it will always lead you on to the next decision. Just remember life is filled with imperfections just like our paintings and that is what makes it interesting. Life is unpredictable and full of surprises. Enjoy it.

Decisions can be difficult and at times challenging, but you will always choose the right decision for you in the moment. Others may disagree, but, if you know it’s right or it feels right, then you will always be moving forward. Keep on keeping on as they say.

Painting by numbers is a great concept when all you want to do is have fun and paint. It is about creating a good picture with help. Just like life, we are creating the life we want to live and along the way we get help from numerous people.

Whilst life isn’t planned out and you are responsible for making the decisions regardless of how difficult it may be, it can be overwhelming. Stop, take a deep breath and know whatever option you choose, is the right one for you in that moment.

You cannot predict the future and you can’t paint your life by numbers, however, you can be confident the choices you make will help you on your life journey.

Thank you for reading, have a great week and look after you.

Love Emma xx