I love the colours of
teal and coral. An unlikely combination, yet the kingfisher has feathers of
teal and coral.
In colour psychology, teal heals the emotions and signifies trustworthiness, reliability and commitment. It is a colour
that recharges us during times of mental stress and tiredness, alleviating feelings of
loneliness. The colour coral symbolises
energy, warmth and joy. It is associated with characteristics such as homey,
welcoming, excitement or adventure.
So as the time has come to give the exterior of our house a
new coat of paint, teal walls and coral
doors won hands down over the original grey.
I would like to see our lives as a spectrum of colours. When
I made my first trip to London
Colours reflect our experiences, moods and passage of
development. When we are exuberant, we burst into colour. Our days are radiant
and bright with beautiful prints – the entrance into university, the first job,
the first child. When we are trapped in sad situations our days are grey and
the world is black – the failure, the retrenchment, the break-up. Yet, we take
comfort in the proverb that ‘this too will pass’.
Colours also reflect our perception of things. It is so true
that when I was a
child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.
When I became a woman, I put the ways of childhood behind me. But sad to say,
some of us are arrested in our own development as we refuse to let go of negative
experiences and emotions that continue to grip us.
I remember
during my first year in Ireland
I used to
watch in amusement when the customer and
the cashier chatted about the weather and who had died recently while the rest
of us waited in queue to pay for our groceries. I also had to consciously
remember that the post office and the bank closed during lunch hours. In short,
I would see red.
Now I watch
with empathy when the customer and the cashier chatted about the weather and
who had died recently while the rest of us wait in queue. I think that the
cashier has loads of patience when she hears the little old lady muttering
about her daily endeavours. I think the little old lady must have felt good to
have someone listen to her daily endeavours. When she fumbles for her debit
card to pay for the groceries, and the cashier says, ‘Take your time, there’s
no rush. Whenever you are ready’, I think that is kind and I notice that there
is a fuzzy glow of warm orange within me.
There is an
elderly crowd here and even in their 80s and 90s, their minds are as bright as
a button. Maybe it is because of the freshness of the natural surroundings,
maybe it is because they take the time to soak in the colours of living and
learning.
It is a pity
that with massive development in the city the skyline is no longer what it used
to be. Beautiful heritage houses give way to skyscrapers and green lungs and
pristine forests vanish as lucrative plantations and condominiums encroach into
them.
I have learnt
to enjoy the blue of the sky, the purple of the lavender and the green of the
fields. Just when I watch my children grow and fly the nest, I am thankful that
I am surrounded by people who care for me and
I have learnt to live life.
As I look at
Tony the painter put the final touches of teal and coral on the house, Michael and I will have a new splash of colour
in our lives. The old is gone, and the new has come.
