We get so frazzled in our hectic, hurry-scurry lives that sometimes the only way to figure out where we are in the year is by the profusion of colors that seems to explode...not, as one might expect, in the garden, but in the stores. Pink begins its blushing creep out of the confines of the Barbie aisle to flush the center of the stores, insinuating itself onto everything from cupcakes to socks. It’s a colorful reminder that February is upon us, that love is in the air, and that spring is just around. It’s a lip-sticked kiss good-bye to the frigidity of winter. It’s a yearly prompt to stop and realize that the well-being of our hearts––both physical and emotional––is important. Cupid’s arrow arcs through the air to hit its intended target, a pointy reminder of Heart Health Awareness Month.
As pink deepens first to red and then to purple, Mardi Gras ushers in the perfect antithesis to innocent and romantic love. Raucous festivities seem to give license to eschewing inhibitions and letting it all hang out for a few days before becoming repentant. Royal, vibrant colors harken those days of debauchery, a direct contrast to the pastels of Easter and the reminder that life is beginning anew, with the advent of spring and the bloom of fresh blossoms...and fresh clover. Four-leaf clover, if you’re lucky. And lucky is exactly what every good Irish lad or lassie (or those who’ve simply been given a one-day pass) hopes to be on St. Patrick’s Day, when green suddenly becomes the new black, and all things Irish are celebrated with gusto.
Color is extremely influential in our lives. It drives emotions and impacts decisions. Recent studies have even linked it to eating habits, finding that using blue plates can suppress the appetite. Strange, perhaps, but interesting.
So what colors drive you? What colors make you feel happy? What colors make you feel sad? What colors energize or soothe you? In the coming months of this new year, examine your own personal color wheel. Let colors remind you of things––most importantly, the things that matter. The people you love with that bright red heart. The luck and blessings you’ve been given in that great green field of your life. Take time to appreciate, rather than resent, the colors that explode from the aisles at the store. Go ahead...Buy a box of crayons and take a peek inside. Each one of those perfect, brand-spanking-new colors is full of possibility...and so is your life. After all, it’s never too late to live life in color.
