Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings. I am just a Southern country girl wanting to build a homestead with her husband and two children, and I claim nothing more than that. This is the space I have created for myself to share my personal point of view, and I happily respect that it is not the only one. I invite you to read about my new favorite shade with that in mind.
Our kids ask us often, “What is your favorite color?” This question is one that I have a hard time answering, being the overanalytical person that I am. My favorite color is entirely dependent on my mood. One color that has never before made the cut is green. Until I became a gardener, I had no use for the shade. Once I fell in love with having my hands in the dirt, the conversation changed a little. The tiny green sprouts, as they peek timidly through the dirt, promise so much for the future. They look like little green sparks of hope, and I saw the color differently after that.
As I decorate this house, I find myself drawn to green – a deep, dark, rich green to contrast with the navy and grey that I have also collected. I have not chosen a particular style for my home décor, except for the admittedly boring choice of painting every room grey (Polished Silver by Valspar to be exact), with the trim and ceilings a coordinating grey that is almost white. This choice was intentional, though, as it provides a nice neutral backdrop for me to change my mind as often as I wish without having to constantly repaint. On my to do list is painting the front and side doors both a deep shade of green. I also have a green tablecloth that sometimes graces my farmhouse table, as well as vintage green placemats – a score from a local resale shop.
Dictionary.com defines green as, “a secondary color that has been formed by the mixture of blue and yellow pigments.” A little further down in the description, it adds, “Informal. To restore the vitality of.” This part of the definition caught my attention. Maybe this concept is subconsciously the reason I suddenly love the shade so well?
As the world around us began to reopen a little last year, I noticed several places offering non-verbal tools for customers or parishioners who were ready to venture back out into the big wide world. Some were stickers, others were clothespins, and even more were wristbands, but they all came in shades of red, yellow, and – you guessed it – green. I thought the plan was brilliant in its simplicity. Those uncomfortable with any type of interaction, choose red. Those talk-don’t-touch friends chose yellow, and there were a few that chose green, which meant essentially, “It’s all good with me.” Now, as we first ventured back into any level of normalcy (is that even a thing?), I was solidly in the yellow category. I honestly was before 2020 anyway; if there had been such a thing as red, yellow, and green indicators I would have happily worn my yellow with pride. As time progressed and human touch and interaction became more and more villainized, I found myself marching steadfastly closer and closer to that green category. Here’s the thing. We were all created to live on this earth together. You and I have been created in the same point in history for a purpose and a reason. When we segregate ourselves from one another without contact, something inside us dies. It becomes far too easy to view someone’s different point of view as nothing more than an enemy when reality touts a vastly different story. I may be an introvert, but I need you. I need the exuberance that the extroverts of the world bring to the table. I need the discussions that a myriad of different viewpoints offers. Let me hear you, see you, understand your point of view. When we humans stay in contact with one another, we can see each other as we are. NOT as enemies, but as fellow beings walking through this world together. If we see each other in our vulnerable humanity, how much easier would it be to have a meeting of the minds and find solutions to our societal problems, solutions that will work for everyone?
I have obviously given way too much thought to the color green, but I have decided that it is my new favorite color. I love the hope of the fresh spring green, with its promises of new life after a dark, cold winter. I love the camaraderie of the green indicator that seems to say, “Let’s go live.” I am ready to stand up, dust off the cobwebs of isolation, and LIVE my life. Without shame or guilt or disrespect to others choose to live, but nonetheless, LIVE. We only have a few years on this rock, and none of us know exactly how many we have. If the end of my days comes tomorrow or if it comes 50+ years from now, I want to have lived each moment to its fullest. “To restore the vitality of” my life, my color is green.
Bethany
Journey Into Freedom 