Color me green

I never much got into St. Patrick's Day. Maybe because I am of Scottish descent - my grandfather was Angus McVicar. Or perhaps it is because I have been a teetotaler all of my life. Or maybe, as a vegetarian, eating corned beef was never appealing. It wasn't until I was an adult that my father, after consulting the family tree, informed me that I am 1/64 Irish. That's probably not enough for me to change my ways. This morning, before sunrise, the sky was a soft pink and lavender. Once the sun appeared, there were bright yellows and some oranges. Looking out over the white snow and the blue

water I made note of all of the colors that surround us. While I don't consider myself to be a colorful character, I did decide to do a color inventory.

Red: The color of passion. I am a romantic and there are many things that I love about life and many people whom I love. To me, red is also the color of anger, like a bull charging. I feel a little to quick to anger these days and I think I need to take a step back. Red is also humor, of which there is much in the world, and my life.

Brown: My favorite color. A rich and healthy soil for gardening does wonders for my soul. So too can a nice dark brown chocolate bar. I realize that I need more brown in my life as I patiently wait for the soil to warm up to plan my early spring crops. Maybe I need a little James Brown, I Feel Good.

Yellow: I am afraid. I don't like change, I don't like to make decisions, but I need to. A friend of mine gave me a copy of Joan Baez's latest CD. In the title song, Whistle Down the Wind, she sings, "I can't stay here and I'm scared to leave." This describes me precisely right now. Mentally, emotionally, I don't know if I can keep doing what I've been doing. But taking steps to go elsewhere terrifies me sometimes. So what is a gal to do?

Green: I love the shades of green after the first spring rains, of grass, of trees leafing out. I am new at many things, a bit of a greenhorn; I am green with envy at times as I struggle to stay in the moment.

Blue: Our blue planet, water falling, waves roaring, brooks babbling, and still, motionless ponds beckon to me and soothe me. Many times I am sad; you might say I have the blues.

For many, our world is one of black and white. I have always tended more toward grey. For many, the world is pink or blue. I favor magenta. Humans are complex and none of us can be defined by one color. It is the rainbow of colors that gives us our own personality. What colors help to define and explain you? What do you associate with colors?