Gabriel’s Mindful Moment: Painting the Sky

The painting setup in my room is my favorite place to be. My abuela Silva gave it to me for my fourth grade graduation and set it right in front of the window so that I can “be inspired by the world.” Most days, it works!

Sometimes I’ll wake up, and before I can even fully open my eyes, a shape, color, or idea will paint the inside of my mind. I love how my easel, brushes, and pens are always there for me, and when I want to make something come to life, I do. From dragons in my dreams to the pillowy soft conchas that Abuela piles high for breakfast—I find a way to bring it to the page.

One morning, I woke up and jumped out of bed. I sectioned my paper into six boxes. I’m going to make a huge comic and give it to Abuela! I thought to myself.

I grabbed the blue and started painting the sky in each of the boxes.

“It's a beautiful day,” I said while painting, glancing out the window. Be inspired by the outside world, I thought.

Once I had covered every square, I paused. Now what?

Mom passed by my open door and did a double take. She saw me standing and staring at the empty blue boxes and knew something was up.

“Good morning, cariño!” she called in a singsong way with her head peeking around the doorframe. “What are you working on today?”

“I can’t figure it out. I want to paint something for Abuela, but it’s just not coming.”

“Hm. Why don’t you try a different way in,” she said. “Put down your brush, and close your eyes.”

“Mom, how can I paint if I can’t even see?”

“Just wait! You’ll see differently. Now—take a seat, and take a deep breath.”

I let out a sigh and plopped down on my bed, keeping one eye open and one eye closed.

Mom noticed and gave me a look until I closed both of my eyes.

“Now, let’s take a deep breath together, mijo. In through your nose…”

We both took a big breath in.

“...and out through your mouth,” she said, exhaling. I decided to let it all out with the biggest sigh I’d taken all day. Relief started to wash over my body, which surprised me. I was starting to feel better.

“I want you to think of your favorite color. You don’t have to say it out loud. Just think about it.”

I started to imagine the color orange filling up my entire room. I thought of how much I love the smell of tangerines and how they burst open when you peel them in the summertime. How colors of bright orange, yellow, and pink fill up the hazy sky when I wake up early enough to see the sunrise. The jagged orange outlines of the word bubbles I like to draw in my comics that say things like “BAM!” and “POW!” to show the action happening.

My mind felt clear—but somehow full of possibilities. I opened one eye again. Mom was sitting next to me taking deep breaths. We were both just being.

“Mom…I think it worked,” I said. She slowly opened up her eyes.

“Then get to it,” she said with a smile.

I grabbed my brushes again, but this time around, everything felt like it was flowing out of me. I knew exactly what I wanted to do—and I couldn’t wait to give it to Abuela Silva.