{"id":379714,"date":"2011-02-19T12:58:00","date_gmt":"2011-02-19T12:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/index.php\/2011\/02\/19\/living-color\/"},"modified":"2011-02-19T12:58:00","modified_gmt":"2011-02-19T12:58:00","slug":"living-color","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/index.php\/2011\/02\/19\/living-color\/","title":{"rendered":"Living Color"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Pink is my favorite color. When I wear pink, I feel feminine. I feel warm and fuzzy inside.<\/p>\n

Needless to say, last Monday provided a good day to break out the pink hat, gloves, and scarf. I donned them over my pink blouse with white lace. The blushes looked fabulous against a pair of dark denim jeans. What can I say? Though I\u2019m not afraid of hard work and soiling my hands, I love being a girl. Not that men can\u2019t wear pink\u2014why, some of the most heart-stopping males are those who know they look good in pink. But, that\u2019s \u201ca whole \u2018nother conversation,\u201d as a friend of mine would say.<\/p>\n

As I was walking with friends on Valentine\u2019s Day\u2014enjoying a much needed day of warmer weather\u2014the subject of color began. One of the girls sported a new grape-colored winter coat, and a pair of mittens to match. \u201cI\u2019ve been craving purple!,\u201d she exclaimed with delight. \u201cSometimes in the winter, when I\u2019m craving green, I eat spinach!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI hang yellow towels in my bathroom in late winter.\u201d I added.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure you do, \u2018cause yellow is the color of cheer, \u201d the third walker chimed in. She knows my appreciation for yellow hasn\u2019t always been there. I disliked the color until I had to write about it in a creative writing class we audited. I now embrace everything yellow. Wilson Leather makes a fantastic tote that comes in an array of colors. When our local Sam\u2019s sold them last year, I anguished over which bag to choose: a Pale Pink, a Rich Teal, or a Sunshine Yellow. Oh, decisions\u2026decisions\u2026 I settled on the teal.<\/p>\n

But, guess what? The store began selling them, again, recently, and then I found my membership was offering a discount! Once again, I found myself deliberating in front of the display: Pale Pink or Sunshine Yellow. What can I say? It\u2019s February. As I stood contemplating about the pink or the yellow tote, the yellow popped, but the pink\u2026ahhhh\u2026sweet, sweet\u2026blissful\u2026pastel pink\u2026 I felt soft and soothed\u2026<\/p>\n

When I heard my hubby talking with a buddy about shopping for a Valentine\u2019s gift, I informed him his work was done. The red roses he brought home were a beautiful addition to my day!<\/p>\n

Someone I know is having a difficult time with one of her teenage sons right now. Last week was especially hard for her. I thought about her shortly after my walk. My mind wandered to how we don\u2019t seem to notice color when we are having difficult times. Maybe that is why we call tough times dark times. Maybe it\u2019s not so much that we don\u2019t see the color, but that we don\u2019t absorb it, our souls don\u2019t soak it up. And, maybe it\u2019s that, in steeling ourselves against hurt and pain, we harden ourselves so much that the color can\u2019t seep in.<\/p>\n

One day my sister was trying to force herself to go to the gym. \u201cI really don\u2019t want to go,\u201d she said, \u201cbut I guess when we least feel like it is when we need it the most.\u201d So, so sage. Those words have entered my mind numerous times in the years since she spoke them. And they can apply to every aspect of our lives, from our eating habits to exercise to taking time out to relax\u2026<\/p>\n

In that context, when we find ourselves talking about darkness in our lives, when chipper and happy and soothing seem to be so remote or so annoying to us, maybe then is when we need color the most. Darkness is the time to throw open the shades and live in color. Bathe ourselves in shades and hues that penetrate suffering\u2019s shell. <\/p>\n

I keep color all around my house, even in the shower. I stock up during Bath & Body Works\u2019 sales and keep two or three different body washes in the shower. Each morning I contemplate what I need for the day. Do I want to pamper myself with the romantic, rosy scent of PS I love You? A refreshing, clean-scented Dancing Waters? Or do I want a calming Vanilla Sugar? During Holiday months, I keep theme-colored napkins on my counter. You can do this without breaking the bank; just stop by the clearance aisle of any store, or pop into a Dollar Store right after any holiday to pick up even better bargains. I place any of the leftovers into a quart baggie and generally have a two year supply!<\/p>\n

I put out touches of holiday hues throughout my home, too. Right now, a simple strand of red, heart garland drapes over a doorway, and two pink pillows adorn a settee in the foyer. I use theme-colored dishtowels in the kitchen, and have a small selection of throw pillows I rotate in and out for different times of year. The color is always changing; the objects grabbing my attention and frequently drawing a smile. I can\u2019t wait to break out the brightly striped towels I use during Easter\u2019s month. They are so cheerful after a Northeast winter!<\/p>\n

Four years ago my profession required I leave for work before the first light of dawn. A night owl by nature, I dreaded each morning. But one day, about a year into the job, as I looked into my mirror, I noticed the reds and oranges that painted the sky. Big, bathing brushstrokes seemed to shimmer as the sun rose over the hills. Life\u2019s vitality surrounded me. It energized me. It changed my outlook on that day. And on many days since.<\/p>\n

The expression, \u201cIn living color,\u201d arose with the invention of color television. Color breathed a new energy to the images playing out on the screen. In that regard, I\u2019d have to say the world is one enormous Plasma Screen. When the color fades from our life, it\u2019s time for a repair\u2026 Sometimes the energy can be restored with minor adjustments, and sometimes a major overhaul is needed\u2026<\/p>\n

Hmmmm<\/em>\u2026 Life. In living color\u2026 Sounds a bit dreamy\u2026<\/p>\n

How about you? Have you ever thought about color? What effect does it\u2014or the lack of it\u2014have on your life? Does color energize you? Breathe vitality into your day?<\/p>\n

Until next time, may you find shades of joy in each day\u2026<\/p>\n

Soon\u2026<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pink is my favorite color. When I wear pink, I feel feminine. I feel warm and fuzzy inside. Needless to say, last Monday provided a good day to break out the pink hat, gloves, and scarf. I donned them over my pink blouse with white lace. The blushes looked fabulous against a pair of dark […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[215,106,54,216,217,69,218,219,220],"class_list":["post-379714","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-color","tag-joy","tag-loss-and-healing","tag-pink","tag-sams-club","tag-the-five-facets","tag-valentines-day","tag-wilson-leather","tag-yellow"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379714","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=379714"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379714\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=379714"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=379714"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=379714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}