The Beauty of Blue

I woke this morning heavy in heart. Many people I love are trying to navigate the unwelcome detour of a rocky and painful road. With little ability to control or fix their situation, I simply set off on my day keeping those I love close in intention, hoping there would be a clearing of their darkness, so that a rainbow might reveal itself.

What else to do on such a day other than go to one of those wholesale stores as big as a football stadium. I ended up with a cart full of snacks and enough toothpaste to last a decade. I almost bought one of those huge tv’s because, well, isn’t this where you buy tv’s? But, I kept moving, hoping the distraction of $9.99 wild salmon would make me feel better.

As I exited the store, I had my receipt ready for inspection by store employees. Flanking the exit aisle were two women engaging in pleasant conversation. I was the only exiting customer, so I stopped to engage in pleasantries while the lady with a blue top made sure the contents of my cart reconciled with my detailed receipt. The other woman observed, “This must be a blue day.” Well, yes, I almost replied. I am feeling quite blue, I thought.

She continued, “We’re all wearing blue,” she noted as if the observation were an epiphany. And then I, too, noticed the three of us at the exit door of the big warehouse store were, indeed, wearing blue.

The chatty woman continued. “I was on my way into work today, and I kept saying out loud in my car, ‘I need some positive energy today.’”  She sighed, and I immediately resonated with her out-loud intention. “They say the color blue has positive energy,” I said completely unsure if this was true, but it felt right to say so, nonetheless. “Well then,” the chatty woman said, “I guess this is where my positive energy begins.” She almost jumped up and down.

We shared a moment more of pleasantries, and then I took my highlight-checked receipt and cart to my car. I realized, as I unloaded snack bags of popcorn that the woman in blue gifted me with a moment of levity that shot straight into my heavy heart. I was reminded of our shared humanity. When lost in despair, unless there’s a widening of perspective, we can become stuck. Movement is hard. Fixing brokenness takes work and commitment. Reconciling loss requires the energy of a million waves ebbing and flowing against a gazillion grains of sand. Navigating life’s detour can shake all we thought we knew so that we now know nothing. Yet, there must be a place for space, for respite, and for resetting. In this case, such reset came from three strangers who shared a common wardrobe choice.

This is where we must challenge ourselves to remain open to simple hidden rainbows. Later this same day, I was taking a walk outside. Still heavy in heart, the “blue” memory was long lost to lingering sadness. Then, my cell phone rang and I opened a face time call with my grandchild who was outside playing beneath a brilliant blue sky. The cloudless backdrop to our high pitched babble was brilliant and ever so blue. I hung up our call and continued to move forward with the sole intention of noting my steps. It was only later, as I reflected on the day that I realized the beauty of blue was offering a lifeline.

At least today, being blue ended up being a very good thing.