Did you know that red is the highest arc of the rainbow and the first color you lose site of at dusk? Red evokes love and passion, as well as anger, joy and enthusiasm.
Growing up as a “redhead” my mom steered me away from the color entirely. “Redheads don’t look good in red,” she advised. Red’s pastel cousin Pink was a fashion no-no as well. I had it drummed into me from an early age that redheads do not look good in red or pink.
It’s hard to say if those biases colored my experiences going forward or if our color preferences are inborn. My passions fall to blue, green and purple.
Invariable, when Christmas rolls around the color red is suddenly everywhere. Santa’s suit and his tiny elves wear red from head to toe. Green wreaths sport red bows, red sweaters go on sale and controversy aside, Starbucks’ serves coffee in a red paper cup. I wonder if my slight aversion to red contributes to my sense of relief when the holiday season is over?
In all fairness to red, it’s probably not the color but the excess. Too much of anything is, well, too much.
How are you managing the holiday season?
Footnotes
My left foot is healing well. Still no weight-bearing for another week or so. I see my doctor next week, and hope to get the go ahead to begin physical therapy.