How does the whole “favorite color” thing come about? Did we all just pick a favorite color in kindergarten when all the adults and children around us would ask? Have we all just stuck to that color?
Before I reached the years of pre-k and kindergarten, I’d always tell people my favorite color was purple. I remember feeling so seen when my babysitter, Mrs. Lantry, told me her favorite color was purple too, and that I should never change that. When I got to pre-K, the three other girls in the class would always say their favorite color was pink. The first taste of the natural attempt to want to be liked by others. For the next few years, when asked what my favorite color was, I’d always say pink. My favorite color was never pink. How odd.
Looking back now, I realize I never fully expressed who I was until I got to college. Always blending into the opinions, styles, and dreams of others. Unfortunately, this seemed to be a natural thing. Sparking in pre-K. I’d say with confidence right now that my favorite color is green. There’s nothing I find more beautiful and more fascinating than nature. Nature covers nearly every shade of green. Only God could have created a world of color and beauty that shows us humans that there are that many shades of green.Â
Now that I’m older, I understand that the question “What’s your favorite color?” holds a very different meaning. It is a safety net we often hide behind. A barrier. Only this time, we aren’t lying when asked to stop ourselves from being different. Instead, we are asking to make small talk. Not many people care what your favorite color is once you get past the age of ten. We ask what it is to show that we ourselves have some sort of interest in the other’s life. Humans are funny. Nonetheless, when we ask others what their favorite color is at our grown ages, we get the chance to feel like little kids again. I think it’s kind of sweet.Â
If someone were to ask me what my favorite color is right now, I’d say green. Maybe I’d even tell them it’s purple, for the younger version of myself. We should all attempt to make human interaction as simple as it was when we were in kindergarten. Only this time, we get to answer as the authentic versions of ourselves. Imagine how many of your people you could attract into your life this way? Real people find real people. Go ask someone what their favorite color is!Â