The Color Green

I used to hate the color green. To be honest, I’m not really sure why, but it just never stood out to me. At age 21, green is now my favorite color. Why? As crazy as it sounds, it all started with a scene from “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.” Although I’ve watched the movie at least 10 times, it wasn’t until recently that I found an appreciation for Katniss’s favorite color. Though she doesn’t explain why it’s green, it’s most commonly interpreted as her love for the forest and nature. Despite the mayhem of society around her, she found solace and peace in the color green. I desired to feel the same, to understand. So, I promised myself I would carry that intention with me. Ever since, I look for green everywhere. 

In fields of freshly cut grass, the kind that makes me want to play soccer again. In Puppy, my beloved stuffed animal who has been with me since before I could speak. In the avocados I open to make my daily avocado toast. And in every Kiwi because I also love Kiwi. In the stems of my forever Lego flowers that my boyfriend gave me. In every matcha latte I drink because I can never get enough. And in my closet, on the sweatshirt I wear more often than I should admit. A particular shade of green for each, special in its own way.

Learning to love green changed my perspective on life. I listen to the trees swaying in the wind, watch the clouds float along the sky, feel the sun on my back, and smell the rain in the air. I take everything in and let it ground me. A gentle reminder that my worries are just that, worries. I think sometimes we get caught up in the chaos of everyday life, we quite literally forget to stop and smell the roses. As we dream of life as it could be, we fail to see that life as it is is pretty great too. There’s a lot of beauty in the little things. You just have to know where to look. I suggest starting with the color green.