At some point during the fourth grade, I was asked to write a paragraph about my favorite color. I treated the assignment like a personal attack. Perplexed, I asked myself how anyone in their right mind could ever expect me to pick just one? It seemed an absurd query and so I answered it with as much spite as one ten year old could muster:
Black. I suppose if I were forced to choose a favorite color, I'd pick black. That's right, because as we all know, black is really the absence of color, and by choosing it, I am avoiding this ridiculous question. What's next? My favorite animal? My favorite food? Would you like me to decide which parent I love more? How about which hair on my head is the blondest?
The next day, my teacher pulled me aside. He assured me that these decisions were not binding, that there was no need to get upset, or feel locked down just because I'd put it in writing. He told me that he was trying to identify with his students, and by asking a simple question, he could begin to appreciate our personalities. With a wry smile, he chided that in my attempt to be tight lipped and mysterious, I'd actually given myself away. In his book, I was an impassioned writer, and from that day forward he expected nothing short of an opinion from me... about everything.
Me and my big mouth.
Today, I am a divorced, thirty-six year old, mother of three. I am a creative director, agency owner, and habitual wearer of black clothing. In my humble opinion, my children are best described as delicious soups, concocted of everything savory my ex husbands and I could drum up between us, and none of the bitter. And I'm pretty sure that if my youngest, a sunny, lighthearted, fourth grade girl, were put on the spot, she'd opt not to select one 'favorite' color either. No sir. Instead, she'd gleefully list every shade that came to mind, and then skip off to enjoy the hell outta recess.
I too was givin this question as a young lass. However I wasn't as smart nor as defiant as you. I like the normal crayon in the 3rd grade coloring box just picked one color and was the nice girl who never dared defy the teacher.
ReplyDeleteI spent hours over this question laboring to find the exact color for it wasn't in any crayola crayon box. I took my search to the art history books and online and it wasn't after 3 days of seacring that I came to the corect color. Cerulian blue hue.