At this time of year our part of the world is aware of the colors of nature, perhaps more than at any other time. Fall is the vibrant season in this area. The greens of spring are welcomed, but it is a different sort of feeling gendered. The colors of fall are like the fireworks announcing the coming of a more restful season, at least in color, winter.
Today some friends were visiting and we were talking about the beautiful place in which we live. Yes, it is picture postcard lovely nearly 365 days a year. We have mountains, streams, wildlife, a certain amount of privacy. No, I am not trying to put out an ad to attract anyone, it is just a great place to be in the environmental sense.
All this made me think of how much color has always been a major thing in my way of thinking. Many of my memories are connected to color. I remember the color of an aunt's wedding outfit that I saw when I was seven, and I include the groom's military uniform. My cousin, on the other hand, remembers the party following. I had pneumonia, very high fever, when I was 5 and my delirium dreams were (nutty of course) but in a color. Always after that experience I knew when I was sick because my dreaming would be in that color.
When I meet someone, for years following that introduction, I associate the color of the person's clothes worn at that time with who they are. To me they are the person "in the yellow flowered skirt" along with their name.
I had surgery on an eye a few years ago, the kind where the recovery requires you to keep your face down, parallel to the floor for the next two weeks, 24/7. During that uncomfortable time something that fascinated me were the colors I saw as my eye healed, and how they changed in shaped and intensity. It caused me to wonder if Van Gogh and Picasso might have had vision problems that caused them to paint in their particular styles that were so different from their peers.
Anyway, I have wondered about other people's experiences with color. Am I weird, well, maybe that is the wrong question. Do any of you who read this see things this way, with color always a part of the mental connection? I love color, it gives so much to my life, indoors, outdoors, moving, stable, no matter where or when. What a wonderful gift God gave us, when He created the world in technicolor! For me, while I think I could manage black and white, it wouldn't be nearly so interesting.
