Colors

Color is a fascinating thing. There are so many shades, textures and emotions that exist in nature. I went outside after dinner just the other day, and the sky was painted a beautiful hue of pink. The pink color was stunning, and extremely calming. The sun was waning, and the birds were chirping less than they normally would. The intense rays that extended from the sun no longer warmed my skin. It changed into orange, and then red, until all of it was overcome by darkness. The sun’s somber goodbye was something that I had never looked at with such awe from my home. I learned that the beautiful shades come from red rays that move through the air and water vapor much more easily. The next day, I tried identifying the birds around my home. The next day, I went searching for birds once again. The orange from the American robin, the shiny midnight black from the common grackle, the strong hue of blue from the blue jay, and a rose red from the Cardinal. I was fascinated, and I wondered whether all of the colors that fill up the artificial world had a place in Mother Nature’s color spectrum. I loved thinking about how natural phenomena leads to a fascinating array of colors that fill our world. From the basics of chloroplasts and photosynthesis in order to form strong green shades, all the way to the birds of paradise that flaunt their massive array of metallic colors in order to catch the attention of a potential mate, all of these colors stem from millions of years of evolution. These were the colors that were deemed most fit for this animal’s survival. As a species, humans have a very normal range of colors that we come in, but we seem to experience emotions through color, and maybe that is why so many people risk their lives in the pursuit of gold. We love the sense of power the color gives us. We love the romance that comes from the beautiful dark red on a rose. We love the innocence of the light pink flowers, and we love the calm and soothing blue skies that is all around us. We love colors so much that, to get to know one another we ask the question of “what is your favorite color.” Today, I went outside once more. The breeze was strong, the birds were chirping, and the temperature was just right, but the sky was a multitude of greys that enveloped the world. It was overly plain and lifeless. It sucked the excitement out of the day as I walked back inside my home. I think grey skies is a somber reminder of a world without color and I appreciate how it makes the rest of the sunny days so much brighter.