If you know me, the answer to my favorite color is easy.
Blue.
My favorite bird? A blue jay. My favorite flower? Hydrangeas. My comforter? Blue.
It’s funny because blue hasn’t always been my favorite color. In fact, it’s only been in the last few years that I found myself gravitating towards it. I couldn’t tell you exactly when, but somewhere along the way, blue became my color.
And now, I see it everywhere.
I don’t necessarily go out of my way to surround myself with blue, but somehow, it always finds its way into my life. Whether it’s the clothes I wear, the things I buy, or the little things I notice throughout my day, blue always seems to make an appearance.
But there’s something I’ve never quite understood about my favorite color.
Why is blue associated with sadness?
When someone is upset, they’re “feeling blue.” When someone is sad, they listen to the blues. Somehow, a color that I associate with so much happiness and a sense of calmness has become a symbol of sadness.
That’s never been the case for me.
When I think of blue, I think of the ocean. I think of sitting on the beach in the middle of summer, listening to the waves crash against the shore. I think of clear blue skies, warm weather, and the peaceful feeling that comes with having absolutely nothing to worry about.
To me, blue is summer. It’s nature. It’s peace. It’s perfect.
Every summer, the water becomes a familiar part of my life. No matter how much changes throughout the year, there’s something comforting about knowing that water will always be there. The waves will still crash against the shore, the sky will still stretch as far as I can see, and for a little while, life will feel like it’s moving just a bit slower.
And maybe that’s why I’ve grown to love blue so much over the last few years.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized how quickly life moves. One minute, you’re a kid waiting for summer vacation, and the next, you’re figuring out how vacation fits the rest of your life.
But blue reminds me that growing up doesn’t mean leaving everything behind.
Just because I’m getting older doesn’t mean I have to stop appreciating the things that made me happy. The ocean is still the ocean. The sky is still the sky. Blue jays are still blue jays, and hydrangeas are still hydrangeas.
There’s something comforting about knowing that even when everything around me is changing, some things stay the same.
It just so happens that I find blue to be the most everlasting thing.
But I know not everyone sees the sky or the birds or flowers the way I do.
That’s what I find so interesting about it. The same color that brings me so much happiness might remind someone else of their sadness.
Someone might look at the ocean and see peace, while someone else sees something intimidating. Someone might look at a rainy sky and feel sad, while another person finds comfort in watching the drops fall.
Some people just see things differently.
I think that’s something we tend to forget.
We all look at the same blue sky and waves, but that doesn’t mean we experience them in the same way.
We all have different personalities, experiences, and ways of thinking that change how we see the world. Something that seems beautiful to one person might seem completely ordinary to another.
If everyone saw the world in exactly the same way, I think life would be pretty boring. There would be no different opinions and no opportunities to understand something from a perspective other than our own.
We get so caught up in what we believe, what we like, and how we feel that we forget other people might see the same situation in a completely different way for a completely different reason.
And just because someone sees something differently doesn’t mean they’re wrong.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with associating blue with sadness. Just because I see peace and happiness in the color doesn’t mean everyone else has to.
In fact, I think there’s something beautiful about the fact that a single color can represent so many different emotions.
Blue can be the ocean on a warm summer afternoon or the rain falling outside your window. It can be the excitement of a cloudless day or the loneliness of a quiet night. It can represent happiness, sadness, comfort, or heartbreak.
It all depends on who’s looking.
Maybe the next time we disagree with someone, we should remember that we’re not always looking at the world through the same lens. What seems obvious to us might not be obvious to someone else, and what brings us happiness might not bring that same happiness to everyone.
That doesn’t mean one of us has to be right.
It just means we’re different.
So, when someone asks me why blue is my favorite color, I could give them a hundred different answers. I could talk about blue jays, hydrangeas, the water, or the way the sky looks on a perfect summer day.
But I think my answer is much simpler than that.
Blue makes me feel calm. It reminds me of the things I love, the memories I’ve made, and the peace I can still find in a world that seems to be moving faster every day.
And while someone else might look at blue and see sadness, I’ll always see something a little different.
Blue isn’t happy or sad. It’s just blue. We’re the ones who give it meaning.