This blog series is to start sharing my JOY journey. I'm inspired by all the #JoyAmbassadors who have began this journey. Through my favorites colors, I will begin to color in my journey. I hope this inspires others to share the colors of their journey and their lives.
What color are you? What color attracts you? What color reminds you of love? What color reminds you of a win in your life? Every moment in your life is filled with color-taking time to reflect on your color is an important part of the journey; it's an essential part of joy.
Living a life filled with joy entails starting with you. You have to be filled with color (life) and full of passion to give it to others. You can't give from an empty vessel. Tapping into your color is...dare I say it...revolutionary. Some people live their whole life coloring in the lines and using colors that are "appropriate" or "politically correct". It's one thing to have a uniform you have to wear to work but it's another to forget to take it off. Let people see you when you're relaxed, free and joyful. What's your color? When was the last time you wore it? When was the last time you shared it with the world?
Color makes me feel joy. My favorite season, fall, is painted with colors of orange and browns. My home has splashes of color that reflect elements and shades of me. Watch me walk towards you and see my colors; I wear color for you and me. People tell me all the time that when I wear orange, yellow or a salmon color that I energize them; my complexion pops when I wear orange too.
Orange and the family of colors associated with it is the color the most represents me now. Orange represents how I want my day to be every day I enter the workplace. Orange reflects my passion to create schools and learning environments that are equitably filled with love, hope and dreams for all students. My work in my current position is in color. Orange is an energy color; I am known by many in my workplace as a person that always has a smile and nice colors; they remember me because of both. Orange is my armor too. The revolution is in color for me. Joy and happiness is important armor needed for all adults involved in the work that needs to be done so all our students can thrive, not just survive. Equity is in color. Have you ever seen a revolution or transformation happen without color?
Orange reflects my culture, too. My mother is African American and my father is Afro-Cuban. They met in college in New York. Orange represents the color of New York, Miami and Cuba; the color of the warm ethnic colors and language you hear. As a black woman, I see orange and its hue to reflect the diversity of people too. Shades of black, brown and orange light up my family album.
Joy is in the journey we call life but did you know it is color too? As you plant seeds of joy in your workplace, home and everywhere in between, be mindful of the colors that you leave in your footsteps on this journey. Take time to notice that the people, places, books, events and work that come from this joy journey are in color. They are beautiful shades of love, kindness, passion, and gratitude. It is the colors during this beautiful journey that will be tattooed on hearts and minds.
Reference:
Zuniga Interiors. (2015, August 31). Zuniga Interiors: The Color Orange. Retrieved from Zuniga Interiors : http://zunigainteriors.blogspot.com/2009_03_01_archive.html
