The Apples in My Orchard

Today has been a day of creating. I finished a necklace, bracelet, and pair of earrings all out of semi-precious gemstones featuring the color gray.  It took some work to get the pieces just right but I am now satisfied with how they turned out. There’s labradorite, hematite, imperial jasper, and zebra jasper beads featured, as well as a touch of sparkle and shine from a few Graphite (gray) Swarovski Crystals and Sterling Silver.  I love the color gray and think I’ll work on a color poem featuring gray for Poetry Friday this week.

But, gray can be depressing. Lately, our winter skies have been overcast and gray with barely a streak of blue peeking through, let alone a sparkle of sun.  Just like my jewelry, winter days only need a speck of color or shine to really make a difference in one’s mood.

I can imagine that if the sun were out, the blanket of snow that covers the ground would sparkle just as those Swarovski crystals do on the jewelry. Windows would shine and reflect the passage of cars, buildings, and people happily going where they need to be. The reflections are similar to those that bounce back from the sterling beads on my jewelry when photographed. Colors pop back off the gleaming surface reflecting my red camera or green sweater.  I suppose I should wear gray when I photograph so I do not receive the color of the adjacent world on my pieces.

But, then when I think of all that is gray that I love I think of dolphins, elephants, and great blue herons, my favorite sweater, and warm woolen socks. Many years ago we had a cat named Harrison who had a beautiful coat of gray fur.  Many trees have a bark in shades of gray, pussy willows are gray, and so is the Tufted Titmouse that forges for food in the forest.

So, while today my jewelry and the sky is gray, my mood is not. It all depends upon how you look at it with your mind’s eye. Gray is beautiful, luxurious, and comforting. Gray winter days spark my appreciation of a streak of blue sky, a bright sun, or the reflection of a clean window that shows my bright pink raincoat telling me it’s spring. If it were not for the color gray in winter, we would not appreciate the vibrancy of other seasons.

Gray.