Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Periwinkle

I just had the most wonderful evening.  Every year the women in our church get together for a supper of summer salads and decadent desserts which we enjoy while sitting in someone's back yard.  Tonight was the night and it couldn't have been more lovely.  We were in this glorious (and very well tended) back yard which was shaded just enough to keep us from melting. There were flowers everywhere. I sat on the swing with my friend and swung lazily while sipping limeade. The salads were fresh and flavorful, and someone brought fantastically gooey brownies covered in piles of fresh raspberries.  Like I said, lovely.  Well, our group (aka Relief Society) just got a new president, and after we had slurped up every last bit of salad on our plates she got up to say a few inspiring words.  Actually, she had us (about 35 women) each introduce ourselves and share what our favorite color is and why.  Seems simple, but she said that she imagined that after we went home and considered more about why we love our favorite colors we'd each end up gaining a little insight into our souls.  Which is exactly what happened. 

My favorite color is periwinkle.  I know, you would have guessed purple, due to my zeal for a good purple pad and matching pen, but no.  I really only go for the purple because no one sells note pads in periwinkle.  As we were going around the circle I was thinking and thinking about why I love the color so much.  I supposed it was because it is such a calm color, but that doesn't really seem like the reason. My turn came around so I shared my color and didn't have much to say but that it's just a great color. Lame. Shortly after that I got The Call from the babysitter (Bundle was ready for my return) and headed for home, still pondering the value of periwinkle.  I just kept thinking how much I love that perfect balance of color - it's so hard to get it just right.  Not too much red, or you've got lavender.  Not too much blue, or you've got, well, blue.  A perfect balance. Balance. Ah ha!  Balance! THAT's why I love it!  It was a total insight into my soul - what I'm striving for is perfect balance.  It's a constant effort: balancing being a mom with being a wife, finding time for me but not being selfish or absent, between cooking and savoring fantastic food and just plain eating too much, between giving into my creative mind and never creating anything.  Not an easy place to rest, that's for sure.  I think periwinkle gives me hope that the perfect balance of life can in fact be pulled off and the result, though not easy to attain, is one of great beauty, calm and strength.  Worth it.

So...is it wrong if I go buy a new periwinkle outfit or purse or something to remind me?  Oh no, wait, I have to balance spending too much money with being slightly nuts.  Okay, I can do this. 


8 comments:

Windybrook Spinner said...

I think that's one thing I love so much about art--all the great colors. Thanks for sharing. That was a lovely post. What I think is interesting is that most individuals' favorite colors are not just some generic color, but a very specific shade of a color. My favorite color is yellow, but it is a very specific creamy yellow with more red than blue in it. Every time I see something in that color I love it. Unfortunately, it isn't a color that looks super great on me or that holds up very well in clothes. Oh, well. I had it on the walls of my kitchen in my condo and that is a good memory. Love your periwinkle.

Melissa said...

So what sort of insight into my soul can I have if i'm not sure what my favorite color is? I'm going to have to give this some serious thought.

tiffrsmith said...

I miss the RS of the University Ward! I'm actually in SLC all week! If I would have known that the salad supper was happening last night, I totally would have been there! And what a simple, but thought-provoking question. I'll have to spend some time on that one...

ghd3 said...

great post. Thanks Rachel.

Kelly said...

I knew I liked you - that's my favorite color, too. I'm not sure if it's because of balance or because I'm just happy when I see it.

Keersten said...

So perfect. I love periwinkle; it was my little sister's favorite color. It does seem balanced and it definitely fits you!

mrsmckracken said...

Love. This. Idea. I can't wait to try it out at girls' night out with the girlfriends. Periwinkle is actually my favorite color, too, because it doesn't often happen in nature, but when it does, it really stands out. And it's so easy on the eyes. But I love the idea of balance. Much more intellectual than the "wow" factor.

Steve Garufi said...

This is cool. I found this blog entry because I'm searching for periwinkle images for my periwinkle Pinterest board. I'm pinning that periwinkle carpet image. It's a KICK ASS color, isn't it? :)

Here's my page: http://pinterest.com/stevegarufi/periwinkle/

All the best,
Steve