I love a good fad. Especially one that has nothing to do with clothing and is something virtually anyone can do. So, don’t be shy. Be honest. Are you coloring?

All the cool kids are doing it (and by “kids” I mean women my age). There are some gorgeous new coloring books, specifically marketed to adults. For a while, stores couldn’t keep them in stock – even Amazon was taking back orders.

Hands down, the most popular are the books by Johanna Basford – Secret Garden and Enchanted Forest.

Fortunately, a few sample pages can be found online, downloaded and printed, to tide folks over while waiting for their copies to arrive or to use and see if this might be more than just a fad for you. (pictured, left: one of the printables, after a couple nights of my coloring it).

I’ve heard there are groups of women who get together and color – like a book club, except with coloring books, instead of whatever Oprah’s reading right now. Hopefully those gatherings include as many beverages and snarky comments as colored pencils. But, even if they don’t, adults who spend time coloring are also improving both their physical and mental health. This semi-mindless act of simple creativity can lower blood pressure and help you decompress at the end of the day, thus giving you better sleep. Daily coloring provides benefits similar to what you’d get from daily meditation.

Plus, it’s an awesome excuse for busting open a new box of Crayolas.