Colors

Today, as we begin this first full week of November 2025, my eyes are seeing various colors.

One of the first things I see are the trees in my neighborhood changing colors.  I’m reminded of the beauty that continues to play in my mind when I was traveling through Upper New York State in the early 90s.  It was all the scenic routes through the Palisades scenic byways, scenic roads and scenic parkways seeing the fall foliage.

This year it’s the bright pink and red azaleas in my yard which are in full bloom the second time lining my walkway to my home.  Not to mention the big red tree across from my house and my neighbor’s red mums in his yard lining the entrance to his front door.

Each of us sees colors in a different way each day.  I see nature’s beauty unfolding, just as we set our clocks back for an hour for daylight saving time for the fall this past weekend.

Maybe it’s also the colorful words we hear others speak, or maybe it your reminder of the book or movie like the “Fifty Shades of Gray.”   For me, it’s those old black and white movies that once were popular, or even the colors of the leaves turning brown as winter begins to set in.

As I thought about the topic today, I also thought about how boring it would be if we didn’t have a pop of color in our lives.

I’m thinking also about the clothes we wear, the shoes we pick out for our outfits and the color of our hair as a starting point.

I’m one that doesn’t believe in dying my hair.  Although, I do get subtle reminders from my spouse who continues to remind me how gray I’m becoming.

Although those remarks don’t take away from how I am, it’s a fact that gray-haired people have wisdom, at least that’s my story.

What’s yours?

We also hear others talk about the colorful lives they have led or are living.

Yes, today color has different connotations for many people.

If you have ever been to the Augusta National specially “Amen Corner” (It’s one that I’ve had opportunity five times to visit) there you would have witnessed the greenest grass ever in my opinion.  It’s a golf course where the “Masters” is played where every single part of the immaculate golf course, is kept green.

As many of us are preparing for our yards to go dormant and brown; I’m enjoying my own “Amen Corner” while it lasts before the winter weather begins it freeze for the year.

As you and I walk through the various department stores, the colors orange and black is being replaced with red and green preparing us for the coming of Christmas.

We also know that it wasn’t long ago when we recently closed out Labor Day where the color of white pants used to be a common thing to stop wearing once it happened.

Many of us are also very accustomed to the phrase or color of a Blue-Collar Worker and White-Collar Worker, which we don’t hear about these days.

We even have the color associated with our foods, such as swamp soup, how we want our steaks cooked (pink or red), and the colors of our vegetables.

I’m also aware that we must be aware of our surroundings, because everyone doesn’t always look like me and I must be comfortable in my own skin.

I can thank my parents for that because we grew up for the most part not worrying about the color of someone’s skin.

Of course, those of age can remember “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.” The movie I’m speaking of happened in 1967 featuring Sidney Poitier, and Katharine Hepburn, and features Hepburn’s niece Katharine Houghton.

Today, this classic movie is one that many of our youth have no idea about.

However, movies like “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.” Is a trigger and a reminder of our past and where we are today.

Although we witness today plenty of interracial marriages in the United States, many are still being judged in my opinion for those that marry outside of their race.

Therefore, the color of love has various colors.

You may not be aware that: “The presence of 11 million interracial married couples nationwide represents a substantial population that continues to challenge traditional racial categories and cultural boundaries.”

https://www.theglobalstatistics.com/interracial-marriage-statistics/

The United States has come a long way, but not so much in my opinion with the Republicans being “Red’ and Democrats being “Blue” as we have continued to see in 2025.

Therefore, when you think about the word color it can have a different connotation all together in various categories.

I’m not one to judge you or whether you want to pass judgement on someone else, because for some of us we are hardwire to a specific belief based on how we were raised.  We must experience it for ourselves to understand the dynamics of rewiring those beliefs.

Spending 30 years in the uniform was part of my rewiring wearing green everyday allowed me to have a different perspective of color, because certain things were not openly allowed.

Today, there is a different standard anytime I see or hear the words Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion which is not being honored or as they say rolling it back.

How corporate America got DEI wrong : NPR

Today I challenge you to think about how you are wired and how you see colors.   As you dawn your rose-colored lenses think about all the colors that may be blocking what you are really seeing and feeling.

I agree with Dolly Parton “When someone shows you their true colors, believe them.”

Blog source: https://mckinleysthoughts.com/colors/