Spin Cycle: Playing Favorites

All of my life, since I was a tiny girl, I've said that my favorite color is red.

In every other area, I am terribly wishy-washy about naming a "favorite". A while back I did a Spin Cycle list of my favorite things, and in order to come up with answers I had to qualify everything very specifically. Instead of naming "Favorite Movie" I named "Favorite Meryl Streep Movie In Which She Uses An Accent".

But when it comes to favorite color, there's never been any questioning or wavering.

"What's your favorite color, Gretchen?"

"My favorite color is RED!"

The other day, for the first time in my life, I actually asked myself "Why is red your favorite color?"

And the answer is..."I don't know."

And what's more, I don't even know if it's true!

This revelation has shaken me to my core. If my favorite color isn't red, what else am I delusional about? How well do I actually know myself?

I mean, I like red. But is it my favorite? Hmmm.

Red was always my Daddy's favorite color, Mama was blue (to match her eyes), but Daddy was a red man. We were always buying him red sweaters and socks. I was such a Daddy's girl that I must have snagged his favorite color for myself.

I've owned a long string of red dresses in my life...

 

Early red dress.

More recent red dress.

 

...but when I look through my closet today, I mostly see blues and greens and browns. And black. A lot of black. But that's not because I particularly care for black, it's just that I think it's "slimming"

So...if my favorite color isn't red, what is it? I feel so lost.

I've always gravitated to rich, dark colors - pine green, burgundy, navy blue, chocolate brown. Those are the colors that comfort my eye and...please me.

But in decorating, I tend to lean toward yellows, greens and blues. One of our bathrooms is a lovely shade that I like to call Tiffany Box Blue, and the other one is a crazy, bright, almost-day-glo green apple color. The living room's a buttery yellow, the office is sage green, the bedroom is terracotta. No red.

Back in the '80s, I went to one of those Color Me Beautiful parties and had my colors done. I was told I was a "Winter", which was all jewel tones. But when I look at the "Winter Swatch" from the Color Me Beautiful website (there still is such a thing) now...

 

Photo stolen from website without permission.

 

...I kind of go "Ewwww." And this seems to further debunk the red thing.

So I started poking around the internet and found a website of "favorite color meanings" - what your favorite color says about you. Here's what they say about a red personality...

Red - The color of strength, health, and vitality, red is often the color chosen by someone outgoing, aggressive, vigorous and impulsive [well, I guess I'm outgoing and impulsive anyway]...It goes with an ambitious nature but those who choose it can be abrupt at times, determined to get all they can out of life, quick to judge people and take sides. [So completely not me that it's crazy.] Red people are usually optimistic and can’t stand monotony; they are rather restless and not at all introspective, so they may be unaware of their own shortcomings. [Huh?] They find it hard to be objective and may blame others for any mishaps...Red is usually chosen by people with open and uncomplicated natures, with a zest for life. [I fear I am terribly complicated, and not so zesty.]

So very not me.

I scrolled through the other colors, looking for myself -

White - Purity, innocence and naivete [Yeah, right!]

Green - Harmony and balance, refined and civilized [Not so much.]

Blue - Soft, serving, patient, self-controlled [Uh, no way.]

Yellow - Happy, sunny, clear and precise thinkers [Oh good Lord no.]

But then, I found this...

Maroon - Harsh experience has probably matured the Maroon person into someone likable and generous. It is often a favorite color of someone who has been battered by life but has come through. It indicates a well-disciplined Red personality—one who has had difficult experiences and has not come through unmarked but who has grown and matured in the process.

THAT'S ME!

I'm a red, who has been battered by life into a maroon!

And it's so true! Suddenly, I'm noticing maroon and burgundy all around me. Maybe it's been my favorite color for years and years, but I've never named it.

"What is your favorite color, Gretchen?"

"My favorite color is maroon!"

Do you have a favorite color? Has it changed over the years?

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Please visit and read my fellow "Color" spinners...

Janice at I Got Nothing

Vandy J at The Testosterone Three and Me

SuziCate at The Water Witch's Daughter

Kendra at Life in the slow lane

Ginny Marie at Lemon Drop Pie - NEW on FRIDAY

Nain at View From Down Here - NEW on FRIDAY

Sarah at 32 Flavors - NEW on FRIDAY

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Next week on The Spin Cycle...

Winter

I think we are now far enough into it to have a few things to say on the subject.

What are you doing/thinking about/planning/playing/enduring this winter?

Do you love it or hate it?

Are you a snow bunny or snowbound?

Winter Wonderland, Winter Solstice, winter white, winter games, winter recipes, Winter Warlock, "Now is the winter of our discontent."

Write your spin on "Winter". Don't be afraid to think out of the box! Post it. Let me know. I'll link it here!

Share your spin!
Highlight the code.
Copy to your HTML.
Et voila! Linked!

<center><a href="http://www.secondblooming.typepad.com/" _mce_href="http://www.secondblooming.typepad.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://secondblooming.typepad.com/spincyclekeelyresize.jpg /" _mce_src="https://secondblooming.typepad.com/spincyclekeelyresize.jpg /" alt="Second Blooming"></a></center>

 

 

Comments

[Ginny Marie]

You look simply stunned in red! Wow! I was told that I was a winter, too, and looked good in dark colors. My mom was all about Color Me Beautiful! But that yellow color? Ugh, I don't think I could pull that off. And red needs to be the right shade of red, not an orangy red. My sister Meredith actually looks fabulous in orange!

Here's my link:

http://www.lemondroppie.com/2013/01/green-day/

[Ginny Marie]

Oops, I meant to write "stunning" not "stunned." You do not look stunned! More coffee, please....

[Alaina]

Here is my fabulously bad color post :-) Spin cycle: My "colorful" post http://viewfromdownhere-viewfromdownhere.blogspot.com/2013/01/color-me-bad.html

Red is my favorite color, but you know...IU and Bama are both crimson which is a dark red. Geez, I wonder if I was battered into a darker red, too???

[Jan's Sushi Bar]

My favorite color has always been green, so you can only imagine my reaction when I read the entire description from the website you provided:

"Green: The color of harmony and balance, Green symbolizes hope, renewal and peace, and is usually liked by the gentle and sincere. Greens are generally frank, community-minded people, fairly sociable but preferring peace at any price. Green people can be too self-effacing, modest and patient, so they may get exploited by others. They are usually refined, civilized and reputable."

Now you'll have to excuse me while I go have something done about this hernia I just laughed myself into.

[Sarah at 32Flavors]

My favorite color has always been purple. A good, deep purple. I've just always liked it. And then I found out that purple is the color of royalty and my name means princess. That sealed the deal. So here's my description:
Purple: Purples are highly individual, fastidious, witty and sensitive, with a strong desire to be unique and different. Temperamental, expansive and artistic, a Purple person may become aloof and sarcastic when misunderstood. If you chose Purple, you tend to be unconventional, tolerant and dignified, likely to achieve positions of authority.

What a strange but mostly accurate description. Except for achieving any positions of authority. Although I suppose it's not too late. Except that it kind of is. I was also going to poo-poo the idea that I'm fastidious. Because I'm cluttery. But there's also a part of the definition that's about being hell-bent on accuracy. Now THAT is me. I'm the jerk who keeps posting snopes links on everyone's Facebook postings.

This was fascinating!

[Sarah at 32Flavors]

Alright, after reading this I HAD to post. Count me in!

http://sarahs32flavors.wordpress.com/2013/01/11/purple-passion/

[VandyJ]

I love green, but the description Jan posted doesn't really fit. Actually none of the site about favorite color and personality really match me. It's nice to be unique.

[Lisa]

AND, it is the color of a nice glass of pinot noir, duh!

[suzicate]

...and you look gorgeous in your color!