Colorizing Your Life

When I was four years old my favorite color was fuchsia.  Most certainly I discovered this hue in one of those coveted 64 color Crayola crayon boxes. Whatever the case, as soon as that color fell into my little hands, it was never leaving. As I talk to my 5-year-old daughter and her friends, they love pink and purple and everything rainbow. The brighter the better.  Mix the patterns. Wear all of the colors. Show up and be bright.

When does this perspective change? Are women gravitating less towards color as we age? Is this a societal thing and why? Are we trying to blend in rather than stand out? Sure, I love grey and neutral hues as much as the next person, but have we lost the excitement of finding that perfect color that we just can’t live without?

The first house I ever purchased, I went bold with my paint choices: an orange office, a chocolate brown bedroom, a red kitchen.  My parents thought I was crazy, but I loved it!  Fast forward 15 years and my entire house has grey or white walls (aside from my kid’s bedrooms).  Am I blaming anyone but myself? No, of course not.  But I do think the suggestions presented to me now are much more neutral.  Even the fashion choices as we hit our 40’s tend to gravitate towards black and white.

So what? Is it time to make a change? Do we need a mental shift back to our 4- and 5-year-old selves when color was EVERYTHING? Would that change our perspective, shift our mood or even help us see the world in a new way? Some experts say it would.  As we get older and hopefully wiser, what do I hope is that we surround ourselves with whatever color brings us joy. Maybe that is neutral colors for you or maybe that is fuchsia or chartreuse. For me, I plan to pick my three favorite colors and start infusing them into my everyday life.  Because as the late Meat Loaf sang “Can you colorize my life? I’m so sick of black and white.” Yes, I can do that.