Orange

I don’t think I ever really understood orange until I met Zoe. I spent most of my life in black and grays, being the punk girl I was (am). And then being the punk girl trying to be a professional girl that I was. It wasn’t until I met Zoe that I really even considered orange. It wasn’t even on my radar. It was outside of my purview on pretty much every subject. But then sweet, spunky, Koala baby Zoe leapt into my arms the very first time I ever met her, days after Laurel and Alex had brought her home from China, soon after Laurel and I had recognized each other for soul sisters, and suddenly, orange was in sight.

And now, I see it everywhere. Even before Zoe went home with her sisters and Mama, I saw it everywhere. It still wasn’t something I invited in necessarily, more that I noticed it actively and it made me smile to think that Zoe would LOVE that bright orange headband. Or those glorious orange shoes. Or, my, my would you look at that gigantic orange, puffball of a flower!

But now, my toes are bright, sparkly orange. And I would love, more than anything, to paint our kitchen bright orange. With some matching orange plates. It’s a color that is now something I want to actively make a part of my life. Not only because it was a tangible representation of so much of who Zoe was, but also because I finally get why she loved it so much. Because orange is alive.

Orange is not a color to be ignored. You either love or hate orange; there’s no wishy washy-ness about orange. Orange can be bright and sunny and fun, but it can also be darker and rippling and come at the end of the day. Orange doesn’t stand still. Orange doesn’t take no for an answer; it will continue to be exactly what it is regardless of whether you acknowledge it or not. Orange is burgeoning, bursting and bustling. One could probably go so far as to say that everything begins and ends with orange as I’ve yet to see a sunrise or sunset that didn’t have at least giant streaks of orange.

So today, I’m inviting orange in. I’m making orange an active part of my life. Because of Zoe, I get to open my eyes to whole new world of color. And even on the days when the world looks a bit more burnt umber than tangerine, there will still be orange. And it will be beautiful. It is already, beautiful.