"If the world were a page in a coloring book, I would color it yellow.

Every single thing would be bright and full of joy. People have said, "That could never be. The world is far too vast and far too imperfect to be like that". I am one person in a sea of the hopeless millions out there. Why can't I color it? Why can't my world be a bright, happy yellow?

The world I live in is painted with monochromatic colors, and I cannot stand the current state of the dull darkness.

I look on the news and see the faces of people searching for a chance to escape this grayscale life, but they are stuck in a colorless state. No one will give them a crayon to color their world with."

This is an excerpt from my college application essay. I was seventeen when I wrote this and had no idea what the year ahead held.

Now, at the age of eighteen sitting in my dorm, I am constantly in a state of stress and shock. The past semester has not only been difficult in my personal life, but for everyone with politics and COVID.

After these past few weeks, I think we need to remind ourselves to find some yellow in our world.

So, for the next minute forget every negative thing in your life. Take a breath and focus on something positive. It can be as simple as watching a loved pet or as big as looking over those vacation plans for when the virus is gone.

Next time the world becomes dull and draining, remember that you have the power to make it brighter.

So keep your yellow crayon near to you and use it to color when everything has become dark.