Pink Pink Pink!

Growing up, I struggled when things didn’t go the way I had planned in my head. I found myself searching for things that would stay consistent, even when everything else felt like it was crumbling around me. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that I find comfort in consistency. I like having a planned day, knowing what’s to come, and feeling some control over my surroundings. Although I’ve learned that you can’t control everything in life, I’ve found little ways to create comfort and familiarity throughout my day. 

Pink. Pink is my comfort. If you’ve ever looked at my nails, you’ve probably noticed that they’re always pink. My water bottle? Pink. The pens and pencils I use every day? Also pink. Pink, pink, pink. What might seem like a simple color preference to someone else has helped me keep my sanity for the past four years. Where I once struggled with staring at countless different nail colors, trying to decide which one felt right, I now only have to choose which shade of pink I want that day. What used to feel like an overwhelming decision has become something simple and familiar. In a world where so much is unpredictable, pink is one small thing I know I can count on. 

I saw something on TikTok—I know, what a cliché—but it said to take away the choice in one thing in your life, and it will take some of the weight off your shoulders.  I thought about this and how much of a change it would have in my life. Was it worth it?   

It started with my nails but moved into all different areas of my life and started to give me comfort.  I started using only pink straws, pencils, and pens.  They all gradually became pink. Coming back to school this year, I found myself opening all the pencil packs for my brothers and me and taking all the pink pencils from them.  

Now don’t get me wrong, pink is my favorite color, and I choose it for basically all options, but it is by no means something I obsess over. I haven’t gone through my life and replaced everything with pink, and I’m not telling everyone to choose a color and stick with it for the rest of your life; I just think that when you take away a choice you make often in your life that stresses you out, it helps to keep it consistent.  I just know that for future options, I will have a safe color to choose and won’t have any regrets about it later.  

• color
• pink