Story of Yellow: Why?
Oct 29th, 2009 by Sam Song
Story of Yellow: Why?
Lately, at an increasing rhythm, I have been going through my “Identity Crisis”. It began as a yearly ritual, which turned into a monthly and now a weekly pain-filled contemplative ritual of self-destruction and restoration. And before it becomes an even more frequent event, I started to look at WHY I was going through these crises more frequently.
Sophia turns ONE!
“Sophia, how old are you?” as I overly smile and gesture with my index pointing up… “One.”
I would repeat this over and over hoping that one day she will actually imitate me and say “One”.
Just what seems a moment ago, I was tearfully holding her tiny body against my chest and gently singing “I love you baby” to now desperately wanting her to say “One”. The time as the proverbial saying goes flew by fast. And in this thought, I began to think of how little I paid attention to the sacred but fleeting moments of Sophia’s first year.
I realized as many do, that we have lost the discipline of paying attention. We get so caught up in the rituals of motion, the busyness of providing, planning for the future that we forget to actively observe what is going on in the now.
And this is why “Story of Yellow” is so important to me. How often do we actively seek out or observe the yellow in this world? I like yellow and I always have, but I’m looking to completely become a fanatic of Yellow. I want to study it, wear it, write about, paint it, connect with other Yellow fanatics, and truly LOVE yellow.
Now replace Yellow with GOD. That is the parallel journey I am going on. One blog, www.storyofyellow.com, will focus on “Yellow” but this blog, http://sam.storyofyellow.com, will be a spiritual journey in discovering what it means to actively seek and listen for God in the daily world I live in and see the Holy Spirit moving.
You are reading this post because you have been personally invited to journey with me. Share with me your thoughts as well. Love to start a conversation.
Painfully true and wonderfully expressed.
Thanks Seiko. Painful and Wonderful. Good words.
I love where you are going with this. It’s about distilling what’s important in life and focusing on those things to have better quality of life with God, family and the people I pass by during the day.
I have also been trying to focus on the here and now. I’ve noticed that so much of my life has passed by without me noticing. Lately I’ve been spending more “in the moment” time with my wife and kids and they definately notice and love me being so engaged with them. I love the time with them more than I thought I would now that I am actually getting to know them more and enjoying them as God’s creation. I’ve also noticed how much more patient, generous and caring I am for my kids when I am able to slow down and appreciate them and try and see life through their eyes. For me it’s all about becoming less busy, removing the unimportant things that keep me too busy – from my life so that I can have quality fully engaged time with people I care about… and learn and apply important things of life along the way.
Hey Sam,
Thank you so much for ur invitation.
I am honored to be a witness of this amazing journey of yours!
I am excited for you and your family, and i’ll be praying for you and hoping the share my life journey with you and your lovely family as well~
Thanks brother, for having the courage to boldly open up ur life and honestly share it with us!
I’m excited~
Thanks for inviting me along your journey, Sam! Hmmm… my favorite colors span the indigo~blue range of the spectrum… all complementary to yellow. I wonder what that means?!? ; >
I’ve been embarking upon a bit of a midlife-crisis-journey of my own lately, as I’ve begun a new chapter of life out here in SoCal, and as I’m continually challenged and inspired by many in the Newsong community… including YOU, as recently as Monday (@Artisans: “Why are we here? Is this what we do, or WHO WE ARE???”). I want to learn to live more transparently in community… thank you for leading by example here. I’m excited to join this journey with you, and look forward to our travels together!
Sam, you i love ya and i feel we’re on some weird parallel connection. I’m very interested in observing this journey with you and hopefully observing what is going on around me in my life as well. On another weird note, in high school some friends and i started this thing called Yellow Shirt Friday. It started as just a couple of us (4 or 5) wearing a yellow shirt every friday and then it spread to the whole school (6th-12th graders). I pray that this yellow movement can have similar and greater momentum.
Ted,
Thanks man! Yeah, as I started to strip away unnecessary things and began to focus, life has not necessary become easier but more meaningful. It’s still hard.
Jane,
You been there from the beginning. I still remember the recruitment video we made with you. I’m really looking forward to see what God is trying to say to me and us. Thanks for reading and wanting to be a part of this journey.
Kevin, as I have said repeatedly, I really enjoy talking to you. You always bring so much to the table. Let’s see where this next step takes us, yeah?
Rickey,
You and I are always on the same wavelength. You,out of anyone, shares and knows the pain.
Nice. You are the originator of Yellow. I might have to make some t-shirts for us all and have us wear it on Sundays. That will stick out so much.
Sam, I felt resonance when I read the story of yellow. I was also beginning my journey of actively seeking and listening for God in the daily world we live in, so I’m definitely on the same wavelength brother!
John,
Thanks for checking it out. Yeah, I have a feeling that a lot of people I know is starting or have been feeling the same way. We’ll see where God takes this. It’s been so much fun just discovering the Yellow in this world. Thanks again.
thanks for sharing bro. i feel you bro. leads us down the yellow brick road!!!…but not what it represents in the wizard of oz
Abe,
Thanks Bro. Just curious what does that yellow brick road represent in the wizard of oz?
You go boy! Love it and thanks for creating for you and inspiring others.
Sam, I love the saying in the 12 step communities: BE HERE NOW. there’s no where else we can really be besides the place our bodies and souls reside in this moment. ONE DAY AT A TIME is how we get there. Thanks for sharing and inviting us into your journey…that’s an incredible mark of you character.