 To create a Pixel Calendar, all you have to do is graph out 12x31 squares, labeling columns by the month and rows by the days. To color, come up with a key that has multiple colors, each representing a mood. Then, color the square representing each day by how you feel by the end the day. At the beginning of 2017, I decided to start a pixel calendar, a calendar over the course of a year in which you document how your day was everyday on a sheet of graphed paper (see above). Wishing to reflect on 2017 in a simpler way, I drew up a rough sketch of a pixel calendar, and let the coloring begin. For me, I have to say that the calendar proved to be fairly simple at first; wake up, live each day to its fullest, then record the color that corresponded to what that day was.
But just like how going on a diet seems easy at first and then progressively gets harder and harder, this project became increasingly strenuous as I faced some rougher days a couple weeks in. Although it was easy to color on paper that I had a "sad day" or a "stressed day", it was hard to come to terms with myself internally that it was okay to experience those type of days because of constantly being reminded by society that you must always be happy, I'm sure some of you have felt this way too- you get out of bed in the morning thirty minutes late, get stuck in hour long traffic, your given twenty different assignments with unforgiving due dates, you get home to a messy room, and then go to sleep knowing that you have to do it all over again the next day. And to top it off, every time you open your phone to Instagram or Snapchat, people's wonderful lives are pasted all over your bright screen, reminding you of how horrible of a day you've had. Days like these have a vicious cycle about them, and pretty much every time they come around to you it's rough. However, after going through the motions of this tedious project and reflecting on it all, there is one thing I've learned that's really changed the way I look at these things. And it's a pretty common word in people's vocabulary- Patience. I know, I know. The last thing anyone wants to hear when talking about hard times is patience. Cringe. But in all seriousness, patience truly is key when going through day to day issues and struggles. Because when we are quick to assume, hasty to let our emotions take over, and swift to spiral out of control, the only thing that can make it bearable is having peace. Having peace in knowing that it's not the end of the world, it's okay to not be okay, and tomorrow is full of potential. And in addition, patience is so great because it just gets you through those day to day issues, so that you can make it through year to year. Because, whether you've realized it yet or not, life is a marathon, not a sprint. By living each day as it comes and being patient when things aren't the way they should be, you can make it through the rough stuff to end up experiencing the good. Overall, I really enjoyed doing this calendar over the year, because looking back at it, I am able to see things from a whole new perspective. Seeing that my calendar was mostly pink/red (happy/great days) shows me that in general, this year was fantastic. Looking at those black (sad) days I remember it always was impossible to see the bright side of things and to imagine having any good days after. But by observing how those black days rolled over into good ones just shows me that God's got it under control, So in this next year, I really want to just encourage you- encourage you to be patient every time things become difficult and have the perspective that over the course of a year, many incredible things have the potential to occur, even after hard times.
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