Langreck: Color me happy

It is no understatement to say that 2020 has been a difficult one for everyone, and most people are already looking toward 2021 in hopes of better months ahead — at least, I know that is true for me.

The old saying about taking a lemon of a situation and turning it into lemonade is a good one, except for the fact that I am allergic to lemons.

Now I want to state upfront that I have not had any more troubles or hardships than anyone else this year, but sometimes things can seem overwhelming.

Besides dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions and regulations that were put into place to help slow the spread of the virus, I became an at-home teacher when my four kids had to do e-learning for several months.

Besides dealing with being cooped up and not going anywhere for a couple months, when some businesses and restaurants began to open up with Gov. Eric Holcomb’s Back on Track Indiana plan, my youngest, who has a rare genetic condition and a compromised immune system, was still not allowed to go anywhere except to see her dad and the doctor. On top of that, I learned that her diagnosis was more complicated than the doctors had originally thought.

As if all of that was not enough, the agriculture industry lost two great men, Doug Abney and Rob Hays, who I both knew outside of work.

All of this started getting to me.

I went through some personal issues, including my battle with post-traumatic stress disorder with panic that was triggered after I was taken off a medicine that had been prescribed to help me with lingering issues from the car accident I was in last fall.

All the doctors and specialists I saw had a recurring point, which was that I needed to find a way to channel my energy and thoughts so I could focus better, which was one of the problems that I suffered as a result of the accident.

I could not figure out what I wanted to do until on a whim I bought an adult coloring book at my local dollar store. One coloring book quickly turned into seven coloring books, a box of envelopes and over a hundred colored pencils.

I decided to turn my frustrations and anxiety into something positive by writing notes on the back of my coloring pages and sending them to my friends, to soldiers overseas and to people in need. That simple act made me feel better, like I was making a difference, and the coloring and letter writing helped me with my focus issues.

I am going to continue coloring and writing letters to people, whether I get a response or know if they get them or not. If you would like me to send you a positivity coloring, as I'm calling them, or know someone who is in need or is stationed overseas and could use some positivity, please contact me at 800-426-9438, ext. 192, or alangreck@agrinews-pubs.com and I'll send one out.