The very next day I saw a book reviewed in a magazine and ordered a Kindle preview of it--the title is JOYFUL. It's a fascinating book about how we find joy in every day things, exotic or close to home, and the first chapter is all about color. I get teased a little from time to time about my "always changing things" in my house, but my house is my canvas and playing with colors is my favorite thing to do!
In the book, the author tells a story about a dying crime-ridden grey city in Albania. "The city was dead. It looked like a transit station where one could stay only if waiting for something." When the new mayor (Edi Rama) was elected, he started painting buildings bright colors to bring it back to life. He started with orange, then proceeded to have hundreds of buildings re-painted in all different colors, and decrepit buildings were demolished.
Soon, the crime and litter virtually stopped! Bars came down out of windows and people started eating in cafes on the street. The entire city changed, starting with one outrageous orange building.
"From the moment I first started studying joy," the author writes, "It was clear that the liveliest places and objects all have one thing in common: bright, vivid color. Whether it's a row of houses painted in bold swaths of color or a display of colored markers in a stationery shop, vibrant color invariably sparks a feeling of delight."
"While contentment is curled up on the sofa, and bliss is lost in tranquil meditation, joy is skipping, jiving, twirling, giggling. It is a uniquely exuberant emotion, a high-energy form of happiness."
The book poses questions like these: What lights you up inside? Who are the most joyful people you know? What places bring you joy? Do you feel joyful when you walk into your house at the end of the day?
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| A Shaved Ice place on Fredricksburg Road near Five Points |
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