Like enthusiasm
I wish you a candy-colored day of bountiful brilliance!
I loved these cute confections in a perky Pennsylvania store display, June 2015.
“Color in a picture is like enthusiasm in life.” – Vincent Van Gogh
January paints nature with a muted palette, but that doesn’t mean our days have to be dull during the winter months. Add some color to your life, literally or figuratively, and get a jump on springtime by animating your mood with some sparkle.
When was the last time you awakened with excitement about the day ahead? Can’t remember? Me either. Time to fix that. Let’s put on some lilting music, or read some uproariously funny writing, or treat ourselves to something out of the ordinary, even if it’s only glittery nail polish or a single fresh flower in a bud vase. Choose a bright jacket or sweater or scarf and dress with a bit of flair, even if you don’t expect to see anyone.
Grab your camera or smart phone, and take a picture of something whimsical or flashy or adorable, and send it our way. If you have a completed piece of coloring book art, I’d love to see it! The world is chock-full of surprises we can unpack for each other without spending a dime, or a lot of time.
Why not trade up from the 8-pack of crayons and use all 64 brilliant colors to design a delightful day? I’m pouring us some bright red hibiscus tea, and spiking it with black for the energizing caffeine. On second thought, maybe we won’t need it. I’m feeling more lively already.
This post was first published seven years ago today. The original post, comments and photo are linked, along with two other related posts, below. These links to related posts, and their thumbnail photos, do not appear in the blog feed; they are only visible when viewing the individual posts by clicking on each one. I have no idea why, nor do I know how they choose the related posts. That’s just the way WordPress does things.
- Posted in: Uncategorized
- Tagged: fun, joy, color, enthusiasm, energy, vivid, candy, sparkle, bright hues, merry, liveliness, perky, confection, sweet
Defeat Despair 
Well i am reading Barbara Brown Taylor’s work “Walking in the dark” which is I guess is the antonym of this post. However, she has a different take on darkness and how many wonderful things take place in the dark. including many incidents in the Bible- the resurrection for one. Another neat part is about her building a Moon garden which i had never heard of to reflect the moon when it appears- including white roses, gardenias, evening primrose, white flox and Angel’s trumpets. Basically she is saying -Don’t be afraid of the darkness and embrace it- it has a lot to teach us, especially those of us of a “certain age.”
The moon garden is supposed to be enjoyed at night -under the many phases of the moon. She also put in a Pagoda dogwood which i don’t know.
I recently made contact with a friend from High school who attended three years ago our 50th reunion. He lives in a planned community in Maryland area- Columbia? Have you heard of it?
Mike, I wouldn’t say it’s the antonym, but rather, complementary. As I’ve written many times here, focusing on the positive must necessarily include acknowledgment of the reality of the negative. Yes, darkness can be salubrious if we are able to negotiate it with faith and determination. I have never heard of that community in Maryland, but I know very little about that state. I have never even made the day trip to Anapolis, which I’ve wanted to do for some time.
Hi Julia, hope your day was “lively”! I noticed in the old comments that you were thinking about mixed media art. Did you ever look into that? Your friend, “k”, had sent you many pages of her geli-prints. I thought, wow! I’ve seen those before. Yes, Jeanne, is a crafter, and the mixed media art is her thing. She belongs to a FB group called ‘mixed media morsels with Cat Hand’. It’s a closed group, but they seem to have endless fun with colors and creativity! I will just say, it’s a consuming hobby! 😀
We warmed up nicely after Christmas with many days in the 70’s; now we’re having another cold snap, a couple “freezing” nights. 🥶. In NW Florida we don’t have many, but there are a few days we can cozy up to the fire! Hope all is good in NoVa!
Hi Chris, I’ve done a bit of paper crafting through my online international postcard exchange, but nothing that would qualify as true mixed media. Many of my correspondents have sent me beautiful mixed media pieces, though, and I greatly admire the works produced by those such as your wife who devote significant time to it. I too have found that even paper crafting at a very amateur level can become quite engaging (sometimes almost addictive) but it’s a very calming process for me. And I enjoy it primarily because of the personal contacts with people all over the world, and the insights into their cultures that can be seen in their arts, crafts, postal stamps and handwritten messages. Art truly is a universal language, even if we “speak” it in different accents and at vastly different levels of ability!
Julia,
Helpful tips to brighten the gray days of winter and speed up Spring’s renewal. Your suggestions can help one decide the better of two ways, Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen describes how people greet each morning, either; “Good morning God”! or “Good God, morning”?
-Alan
Alan, I definitely prefer the first! And the stunning sunrises over the river nearby help me give thanks every time I greet one. I may include a photo of one, in a new post sometime soon.
Look forward to it, Julia.
-Alan
Yea, I can only take so much darkness. The restaurant in Finland might be fun. Where you are blindfolded when you go in- walk to your – table – eat your meal in total darkness. She also – B.T. talks about how you can actually hear your nervous system- a high pitch sound- when you are in a sound proof room for a time.
I would never, never, not ever (to borrow a Clark Howard phrase) want to eat in total darkness.