April 20, 2012

Haunted by Pink

I’m not a guy who goes for pink. I know most of you know this, but I thought I better be clear about it. Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against pink it’s just that pink isn’t my color. I’m more of a blue or green or on daring occasions, red kind of guy. But pink just doesn’t jive with my curls or my attitude.

That said I’ve noticed that lately pink has been everywhere. Sure, it’s the color choice in fashion, but it’s not fashion that’s caught my attention. It’s nature. I guess I’ve never realized that there’s a lot of pink in nature.

Much like learning a new word and then hearing it everywhere, once I realized pink was a dominate spring color I’ve been haunted by pink. Sometimes it’s been an obvious pink and other times just a hint of pink, but regardless, everywhere I turn I find something pink.

There’s been so much pink, in fact, I decided this week to just open myself up to pink in every possible way. I think what’s surprised me the most about this new attitude is that I’ve come to realize that pink is not just a color of a flower or a shade in the clouds.

Pink is a moment.

I used to think of pink with my stomach. I had a visceral reaction to it every time I saw it. “Blech!” I’d say, or “Eck!” blown over by it’s pinkness, it’s need to be a soft pink or a bright pink or a pink without any consciousness about the colors around it.

In other words, pink made me ill and so I turned my head or closed my eyes or walked fast past the pink signs or the pink plastic wrap or the pink sweatpants every single girl seems to be wearing these days.

But the other day we were on a walk by the lake (one of my all-time favorite walks!) and Gretchen took this photo…

…yes, she tweaked it with her photo program and saturated the colors a bit, but what really popped out at me was the pink of the cherry trees.

“Wow,” I said to Gretchen, “That’s so beautiful!”

She had to agree and then said, “And it wouldn’t be so beautiful if it weren’t for the pink.”

My Dog! She was absolutely correct. The pink made the photo and that’s when I started watching for pink in the rest of my life. And let me tell you, PINK IS EVERYWHERE!! Especially in the spring.

And that’s when something switched in my head and pink started popping up in all sorts of ways. Yes, I’d see it in the flowers and in the sky, but then pink moments started happening to me.

For instance, on the walk by the lake we met two dogs — Vara and her father, Jake. At first, I wasn’t very excited about meeting them especially Vara who poked her face in my business without even a hint of an invitation. But then we walked along the lake and finally up to the big field and that’s when Vara won over my heart.

She chased me!

I love a game of chase and Vara was a champ at it. No doubt because of her herding nature and the fact that with my new haircut I look like a baby lamb, but we hit it off the moment the game started until the game ended.

Jake didn’t chase me a lick, but his dad said that in his day Jake was quite a herder. Still, Jake watched as his daughter gave me a run for my money.

And when we both tired ourselves out, that’s when it hit me that pink was as much a moment or a feeling as it was a color.

Dare I say, I was pink with joy and once I allowed myself to feel it, I spent the rest of the week searching for more pink moments and looking back on all the pink moments I’ve ever had in my life.

Don’t worry, I’m not going to bore you with the plethora of pinkness I found in my life, but suffice it to say that once you open yourself up to the power of pink there’s no turning back.

For instance, when Gretchen and I were combing through the photos we wanted to include on this blog, she showed me this one from the weekend with my grandparents…

…this was a pink moment. Actually, this was a moment that epitomized the pinkness of a weekend with my grandparents where I get so much love and attention my pink heart just wants to burst! And to top it all off we get to walk at the Fairgrounds where I chase squirrels and yes, pose in front of funny buildings.

There were other pink moments to the week as well…finding this crazy wall of painted flowers as Monty and I wandered through Fremont together…

Or the hint of pink (red actually, but you get the idea) in the tulip by the lake…

…chuckling at Tyson who was worried, as we posed for a photo on the dock on a very windy day that the waves under the dock were going to get him…

…enjoying the pink blossoms again by the water while simultaneously enjoying my time with Tyson…

…my long, long walk with Woobie and Monty…

Another nice long walk down by the lake with Monty and Tyson and hints of pink everywhere…

…as in my pink tongue…

…and the pink stripe of the boat at Tyson’s head…

…even the weeds were pink!

…and Monty Pink with excitement as the cars drove by on the wet pavement (something he’s obsessed with!)

Yes, pink is everywhere and I am learning to embrace it. Of course, it would be a bit easier to embrace if we had a bit more sun, but alas, I can’t push the pink can I?

Have a great pink weekend!

Rubin

 

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