Orange, the Color of Happier

Knock.  Knock.
Who's there?
Banana.
Banana who?

Knock.  Knock.
Who's there?
Banana...

Who doesn't remember this little annoyance from childhood?  Do you remember the punchline? After an endless succession of knock-knocks and Banana-whos, the who's there answer finally changes to ORANGE.  "Orange you glad I didn't say banana?"

I am coming to realize that orange has become my signature color recently.  My closet contains several shirts, a couple of jackets, Birkenstocks, Merrell sandals, running shoes, and hikers that range from soft peach to blazing orange. My MacBook cover is orange.  Toe nail polish? New kitchen knife? Small juice pitcher?  All orange. My comfy blanket that I share with Marley is orange, too.

I think it all started with this beautiful painting our friend Ryan Glasmann did.  (His name links to his Etsy profile page.)  When we bought it, I thought we were putting it in our living room. Mark thought it didn't "go" with our living room, so he hung it in the guest room. SOOO...I bought some pillows.  It was magical; the pillows made the living room seem like the only logical place to hang the painting!  ("Ve have our ways...")

Once I bought the pillows, it was like every time I went shopping, the color orange sang its siren song to me.  I was drawn to all things orange after that.

Have you heard of Happier.com?  It's a new social media site where you are encouraged to notice at least three things that make you happier each day, and to share your happy things online.  Studies show the more gratitude we have for our blessings, the more happy we are.  (No, I will not be listing references at the end of this non-research paper.  It's common knowledge, isn't it?)  Simply by sharing what makes us happier, we become even more happy.  What a cool concept.

One of the "collections" of happy things is "Daily Orange."  Orange is just an upbeat, happy color, and the whole page is full of orange things that make people feel happier.  As you can imagine, I have much to share on the Daily Orange collection page.

Think of all of the wonderful things that are orange...pumpkins, Gerber daisies, sunrises and sunsets, autumn leaves, marigolds...and of course, oranges!  All of these things can bring a smile to a face.

When my parents were first married, they lived in Chicago in a run-down apartment building. Their apartment was depressing and dingy.  My mom decided to spruce up the kitchen with a coat of orange paint.  She said it was kind of wild, but it cheered her up every time she saw it.  I get it now.  Orange truly is a happy color.

I'd love to have friends join me on the Happier website.  It feeds my inner Pollyanna to connect with like-minded individuals who are taking notice of things that are beautiful, wholesome, happy, and joyful.  Couldn't we all use a little more of those things?

The sun setting into the Great Salt Lake