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Happy Sunday, Reader!

Greetings from Sheboygan, where I am happy to present a new episode of Echo Base Dispatch—a brief transmission from my studio overlooking Lake Michigan—where I share what I’m working on, what I’m wrestling with, and the lessons I’m learning along the way. (Click the video above to watch it, or keep reading!)

I love a fresh box of new crayons. For one, the smell is a time machine, instantly taking me back to more carefree days. Plus, something is inviting about seeing all those new, unused, flawless crayons standing at attention, ready to receive marching orders.

What's the mission, Captain? Are we drawing rainbows today? A peacock? A portrait of Grandma and Grandpa?

They practically scream, "Make something!"

We'd always rather have the pristine box with every color accounted for over the big box of castoffs.

You know the one.

The used crayon catch-all is a melting pot, from the worn-down stubby ones on their last legs, regularly passed over as they beg to be used for one more assignment, to the otherwise immaculate but broken-in-half variety.

Make no mistake, there's a good chance that all the colors you could want are on hand...somewhere. They are not easily spotted by a mere glance, as in a freshly opened box. The color you need will require excavation, as you agitate crayons this way and that, eyes scanning intently for the hue you hope to rescue from the sea of wax.

This box of castoffs has approximately sixteen green-yellow crayons, each in various stages of life. Every possible length is in attendance, most with torn paper, some completely naked, while others have the paper fully intact but sport a decapitated tip. Then there are the chunky crayons for tiny preschool hands, and the cheap stowaways from some restaurant, made of wax more suited to birthday candles than crayons.

The only ones with any chance of remaining in mint condition are the white ones, which are practically useless for all but a few specific scenarios.

The rest are used, broken, and beat up, a hodgepodge of runts, rejects, and retirees.

Just like us.

I hate to say it, but you and I, we're somewhere in the box of castoffs.

We are flawed. Lacking. Imperfect. Less than ideal.

We are all broken crayons.

But...when you look at a crayon drawing — whether from the hand of a child or a great master — can you tell if it was created with brand new crayons or broken ones?

Nope.

The adage is true: Broken crayons still color.

Odds are that you often feel broken, rejected, cast off, past your prime, all used up. You might feel too big, too small, too dull, too exposed. That's ok. You still have an important contribution to make.

You might be missing a color you wish you had. Or maybe you have an excess of a particular hue that seems to serve no purpose. What you do have is an exact shade of something the world needs.

Your paper may be missing, making you feel extremely vulnerable and unsure of just what color you're supposed to be. The label doesn't matter; you're just supposed to be you.

Or maybe life split you in two, and you can't figure out how you'll ever feel whole again. You don't need to feel whole to be useful. Just give what you have.

We prefer an impeccable set of undefiled, unused crayons. And we sometimes think that we need them to create something great.

Don't be tricked into believing that the only crayons that can be useful are perfect ones. Don't worry if it seems you don't have all the colors you think you'll need. And be open to the possibility that those parts of you that seem superfluous may in fact serve a very important purpose.

No matter how spent, insufficient, or unimpressive you feel, if you're still in this box of life, there's an empty page somewhere that needs your contribution.

Broken crayons still color.

We need you to make your mark.

In the crayon box of life, what color or type of crayon best describes you these days? Share your thoughts with me, join the conversation in The Wonderground, or spend time this week recording them in your journal.

Stay young and stay fun,

P.S.

I also made a fun video this week about why I created The Collector Club and what you can expect if you become a member: ​

• ​DIY: Disco It Yourself​
• ​Coldest Brews You Can Order​
• ​World Snorkeling Record Set​
  ....read more in The Wonderground

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