living life in color.
When I was younger, my dad used to tell my sister and I that back when he was a kid, there was no color. Not that there was no color TV, but no color in life. It was his little variation on the whole “When I was your age, we had to walk 5 miles to school, barefoot, uphill both ways” and always elicited a laugh from me.
In my photography class yesterday, the professor lectured a bit about the merits of black and white photography, and how it captures a moment in time differently than color photography. Color photography more closely mimics how we view the world. It’s more vibrant and energetic and vivid. It reminded me of the Wizard of Oz.
You know that part in the Wizard of Oz after Dorothy and Toto run into the house and the twister comes and they land in Oz? And that moment when the screen, filled with the graytones of the house, is suddenly overcome by a burst of color when Dorothy opens the door to and steps out into Munchkinland?
I WANT TO LIVE MY LIFE LIKE THAT.
I can only imagine the thrill that moviegoers got back 1939 when their standard black and white movie erupted in vivid color right before their eyes. The unadulterated excitement and awe and gasp that must have filled those theaters… I want that kind of excitement every day.
It’s like that line in Knocked Up where Paul Rudd says “I wish I loved anything as much as my kids love bubbles.”
I want find the joy in the little things. I want to disconnect from technology every once in a while and appreciate a fresh snowfall or a cool breeze or the comfort of sipping a latte while doing homework in the library. I want to soak it all up and spit it back out and absorb the colors all around me and radiate them out to people around me. It’s what I’m here to do.
How do you live your life in color?
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Thoughts like this are the reason I like you, J.
Recognizing that you want to experience the world in a certain way is the most important thing you can do. When we’re ignorant to the possibilities, or choose to ignore them, is the only time we can ever feeling like we’re surrounded by a sea of black and white.
There’s nothing standing in the way of any of us finding the color in life, except maybe our own delusions.
Love this post! I want to be able to appreciate a moment just for what it is. So often, I find myself looking for something to do, being distracted by something, I seem to have a hard time to just sit (or stand) still and calm, and be. Simply be. While the world around me is bustling.
Karen´s last blog ..Let’s go on a trip!
I live my life through my nephew’s eyes. Where every other thing around him is brand new and exciting. Where the flick of a light switch is monumental and life-changing. Where dirt is the coolest toy in the world. Where every time I see someone I love, I squeal and run to them at full-speed, jump into their arms and squeeze them hard. Where everything is happiness and Cheerios and cuddle time and Handy Manny is the wisest man in the world. :)
Late-Night Drama Queen´s last blog ..Disillusionment of The Real World
This is a very mega big thing for me. Not just big, very mega big.
As simple as it sounds, reading has been one of the easiest ways to get back into this mindset for me. If I sit down one the weekend and just read for three hours, time literally stands still for me. I’ve found I can read a book in two sittings, maximum. Committing time to just being in one place, being quiet, seeing things from someone else’s perspective has helped to change the pace that I approach things, and has made it easier to slow down and see the details in every day life.
Kyla Roma´s last blog ..An Extraordinary Normal Life
I love this post and couldn’t agree with you more! I also want to live my life in colour and appreciate the little things more. I think the busier our lives are the harder it is to sit back and relish in all the wonderful things around us! Something to think about, for sure. Thanks for a great post :)
Love this idea and the imagery… but I’ll have to get back to you on how I do it. Today feels pretty greytones so far…
Suburban Sweetheart´s last blog ..Cliches Exist for a Reason (I’m Talking to You, March for Lifers)
great post! and I remember saying that line from Knocked Up out loud because it’s so freakin true.
I’m trying to work on this and this post is a good reminder for me to just slooooow it down because my brain is constantly fixating on something that I need to do instead of taking the time to just be.
thatShortChick´s last blog ..Love Harder: for Brandy
I couldn’t agree with this post any more! Whenever I’m feeling greyscale, I pick up a PG Wodehouse novel and read a few pages. It reminds me of the magic of words. And, frequently, of foppish men’s fashions.
That Kind of Girl´s last blog ..TKOG Who crashes the party
Okay, so this is cheesy, but I can always tell when I’m feeling depressed because I have an unspeakable urge to listen to “Grey Street” by Dave Matthews Band, a song all about a lack of color.
This is a huge thing for me. I try and combat those grey feelings by going out of town, even for a day. Listening to new music. Going out dancing and getting a little tipsy. Calling an old friend.
I hope you find your own ways to live in color, friend.
… by thinking about the things I want to do to Paul Rudd?
Ok, seriously – I saw a therapist a few times in college and I remember being all wahhh waahhhh about how my dad is SO black and white and I see things in gray and why can’t we see things the same way at least sometimes, and Dr. Awesome looked at me and said (and I have NEVER forgotten these words), “You do not live life in the gray. You live life in color.”
And I have NEVER forgotten that. :)
Doniree´s last blog ..Skooled
I live my life in color. Corona is yellow and guiness is brown and tequila is clear and mimosas are orange and bombay is blue and….
the list goes on.
Matt´s last blog ..Whats in a name
Every once in a while I’ll take some time to fully connect with whatever I’m doing. Like if I’m taking a walk on the beach I’ll focus on each of my senses (see the waves, smell the saltiness, feel the grainy sand between my toes). I don’t do this as much as I should, but it helps me take a picture of that moment that I can hold on to.
Lindsay´s last blog ..The Pregnancy Pact: A Tale for the Ages
Ohh, this is such a lovely post. I am a big believer in making life all about the little things, the small pleasures that seep out of each and every experience if we just open our hearts/minds to the minutiae. It’s much easier said than done, of course. But, well worth the effort!
Hannah´s last blog ..The chinks in my suit of armor.
I get to feeling this way particularly in winter when I’m constantly cold and things are less than colorful. I feel life more vividly by surrounding myself with colors — teal drapes, brown and blue bedding, orange pillows, huge pink flower prints by the dining table. It is kind of simple, but color itself makes me feel inspired.
Ally´s last blog ..Some days, I …
I can definitely relate to this post!! I sometimes feel that life is moving to fast to really see anything, much less the beauty that lies within the moments. It is so rare now that I actually take the time to look around. To be quiet. To let it sink in. But when it does, life is never more beautiful!!
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By meeting strangers off the internet.
(Only half kidding.)
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