Colors
Elasticity Explained
The Sunset Had Some Color
The sunset last evening was a special one, and this morning it was matched by my view off the deck behind the house. Those certainly represented some vibrant color. Color is one of those quirky English words that can do two things at once—like I wish I could.
What I mean is that the word can be used to express something very positive, or just the opposite. Some of the positive or enriching uses of color include diversity, vitality, beauty, artistry, personality, warmth, or vividness. There are others, but that’s a decent start. Here are a couple of examples of using the word in a positive light:
-The Mosey Down Main festivals bring color to the downtown.
-Look at the color of the leaves on that tree!
-My neighbor is a colorful character.
Sometimes color is completely ambiguous—just what did I mean to say about that neighbor?
On the other hand, you can toss color into a sentence that indicates something negative. It can suggest something clouded or prejudiced, embellished, exaggerated, intense, or even tied to race or ethnicity. Here are three examples of using the word in a negative context:
-Please don’t let your judgment of my writing be colored by first impressions. I’m working on making it better.
-Trump’s narrative of his life and term in office is vividly colored by exaggeration and selective memory. I doubt that will ever change.
-I might tell my grandchild, “Don’t color outside the lines.”
For anyone wondering, I haven’t fallen off the edge of the world—just coloring inside a few new lines before the next story appears. Words keep tugging at me, news changes so fast it makes my head spin I’ll keep following both words and the news. More colors—and more stories—are on the way. The idea for a story pops into my head and evaporates as quickly. Our local No Kings event will take some of my writing time today but it will give me the opportunity for some colorful photography.