Post by Jenny
Good news for May-borns and lovers of all things Irish. Pantone LLC (honestly, I don’t know
who that is) has chosen emerald green as the top color of 2013. This year’s
color was Tangerine Tango, which I suppose should have inspired me to dance
like the Argentineans or eat more citrus, but it didn’t. Green, however, is a
color I can get on board with. First cousin to the primary colors, a staple in
even the smallest crayon box, green is both as common and as grounding as the
grass beneath our feet.
Green is considered to be
the color of balance and harmony, of growth and renewal. It is associated with conditions
of the heart and blood (which makes me think of Mr. Spock). It is the color of
the eco-movement and the eyes of a certain monster. It is also the color of
money. As slang for U.S. paper dollars, the term ‘greenback’ dates back to the
government currency used to finance the Civil War. Or, as Ray Charles
sang, “just a little piece of paper, coated with chlorophyll.”
Here’s my plan for
greening up (or down) my writing for the coming year:
Balance: This was elusive
for me in 2012, in both my writing and my life. If embracing green can help me
get a handle on that, I’m all for it.
Ecology: I’ll try to
increase the amount of recycling, composting, and responsible purchasing I do.
I’ll use less electricity, and—this is a tough one for me—take shorter showers,
even though it’s my favorite place for creative thinking.
Money: I sure would like to
translate more of my writing into greenbacks in the coming year. Because they
apparently don’t grow on trees, that means sending out more submissions.
Envy: This is the green I could
use a little less of from time to time. As writers, success for one of us is
success for all of us, right?
Putting my best foot
forward: Figuratively, it's always a good idea, and literally, well, I’m not opposed emerald
toenails when sandal season rolls around.
Lastly, I’ll keep eating my
broccoli and (finally) get a couple of new plants for my writing space.
How will you bring green
to your writing in 2013?
4 comments :
I totally draw the line at broccoli, but the rest of your plan sounds like something I could live with. Green is (almost always) a good thing.
Pat, I tried chocolate-covered kale this year. Maybe that would be more to your liking :-)
I'd probably give myself permission for the long showers and not give those up for two reasons. First, the benefits to the world for creative thinking are pretty extreme. And second, we need to allow ourselves our small pleasures. For some, it maybe be imported chocolate, which definitely uses as many resources as your showers, for others, it may be a necessary 30 minute drive to the beach to be able to walk and sort things out.
Oh, and perhaps weirdly, I'm okay with envy too! I consider it a sign post to where I want to go. :)
This makes me think about my own green-oriented life. Wonderful post.
Thanks, Em. I like the idea of envy as a sign post. I will think on that during my next long shower :-)
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