Green Means...

Green means go...

As in a traffic light, the light turns green and you go. I remember this lesson when learning to drive. Basic!

Green also means growth...

Did you ever realize that spring comes in extremely green and stays that way until fall when we get the yellows, oranges, and reds?

As if nature tells us to slow down and eventually stop and prepare for winter.

Nature is given a green light to flourish, what a beautiful thought. Not only mother nature but look at the nature of humanity during the summer months. Obviously this is more directed at the northern hemisphere. It's 'go time,' travel time, adventure time! Spring tells us it's time to grow and flourish and explore just by a simple color.

As we come into the middle of August you start reflecting on your summer, what has come of it, if anything? Did you do anything exciting or are things still planned? Kids will soon all be back in school (if they aren't already), and the smell of vineyards become more prominent as late summer harvest begins. The sweet smell of grapes linger in the air, this summer in the Pacific Northwest we have a smoky smell added to the mix...not always pleasant but it does happen occasionally. The once green lawns and trees now sag and wilt from the poor air quality, begging for the fresh blue skies that were dominant in June and July.

They are sad and crying.

Soon my dears, soon you'll shed your layers and prepare for winter only to do it all over again in spring.

We'll soon have twinkling orange, purple, and green lights ready to illuminate the crisp fall evenings just in time for Halloween. The cool mornings, the kids walking to school through the crunching leaves, the warm steaming cups of coffee, tea, or cocoa. I crave this time the most! The smell in the air, not of dry heat but cool weather, cozy fires, and pumpkin patches. Oh those smells!

While I do miss the lushness of what green gives us, the calming feeling of the grass under my feet and my toes running through their blades or digging into the Earth. I love when green turns to yellow and oranges, my soul ignites with excitement as I watch these changes take place. While I wait patiently for the ghouls and goblins to come to my door step, and laugh or giggle or be scared. All those lights sparkling along my driveway and up to my door, illuminated little faces excited for the treat they may receive.

Soon it will be time for the other twinkling lights, the holidays are just around the corner. Houses glow from the sky, colors of all kinds frame the cookie cutter homes, the lit tree in the window. The smell of fireplaces and pine, of home cooked meals and sweaty little kids from playing out in the snow. Lights of red, green, blue, and orange sparkle in the eyes of children who wait so patiently for a gift from the big man himself.

This is another one of my favorite things, people under holiday lights, deep passionate conversation over a drink or food and faces bathed in Christmas lights. The happy faces and joyfully full bellies laughing or crying around the holiday (after all it's not happiness for everyone).

New Year comes and we come to the silent part winter, all the hustle and bustle of the holidays is over. Parts of the world flecked in blankets of white, a crisp freshness abound, our Earth frozen waiting for the green light to bloom again.

Green means grow....I mean go.