Psychology of Pink

In honor of pink Saturday, I thought that I would do some research on the color pink. I hope that you can visit lots of beautiful pink posts today including our lovely Pink Saturday founder, Beverly at howsweetthesound.typepad.com

While pink has different symbolic meanings, individual reactions to the color pink can vary widely. The following are some of the reactions to the color pink that readers have shared. (My comments are, of course, in pink)
Reader Responses to Pink
Pink is the color of all things that are fun about being a girl. (Agree)
Light pink represents a baby girl...pure, hopeful, soft, loving...the world at her feet and a wonderful future ahead of her. (Again, I agree)
Hot pink represents the passion felt by all women who has ever loved or been loved. (Yep)
The woman who wears many hats in life and drinks life in and lives with no regrets. I love the color pink. Every shade represents a different stage or phase in my life!
--Angela (smart girl – obviously a lover of the color pink)
My pink skin, being a mother, singing to babies, tranquility, peace, sleep, taking care of people, love and candy and flowers and spring sun rises, new beginnings, weddings, joy, heaven.
--Linda (wouldn’t you like to have Linda in your circle of pink friends)
It makes me feel powerful. I often feel the need to be shrouded in it. However some shades can make me feel angry.
--Nathan (We might need to talk to Nathan)
I'm painting my room pink. My bf was living with me and I painted her room brown.. it was cute, cozy, but oh so not girly. (If, however, the brown had some pink in it, I could make it work)
Anonymous (I think)

Pink to me represents the right to be a girl, to be yourself to speak freely and out loud. It associates so culturally to females that there's is nothing left to do then to say but "no boys allowed."
--Katie (I like her)
Ten days ago I had to put my 15 yr old Shi-tzu down. From the moment I began to mourn I could not get enough pink. I normally love to wear black and neutral colors that accent my red hair. I have always felt that grown women should wear pink sparingly and only in tastefully appropriate shades for the individual skin and hair tones. Now I find myself unable to wear any other color. I also feel drawn to pink things. I am no longer picky about shade...all pinks look beautiful to me. I feel childish about this and a little silly, yet if it helps me through the mourning process...who am I to judge the human heart or the psychology of color?
--John (what a guy)
Pink is my favorite color. I wear pink since I was in preschool now I am a college student and I still wear it almost every day. It makes me feel HAPPY!
--Gloria (Another smart one)
I like pink. I always have. As a child and then when I went on to adulthood and now in my middle age, I still prefer pink to any other color. I actually have made up our guest room in antique pink and other shades of pink. I go in there when I feel out of it. It brings me back to reality quick. (This gal didn’t sign her name…I was hoping she would because I wanted to see if I could go and stay in her guest room)
I wanted to dress in pink for one of my weddings- three so far. I finally did this last time, the wedding cake was pink and so were much of the decorations to include a balloon arch over the cake table. My granddaughter is named Violet-Rose- so this gives me an opportunity to buy her most of the clothes I buy her in these colors. Yes I like pink and I will continue to wear and be a pink sort of person until I die.
--Carol (They say the 3rd time is the charm – especially when you wear pink)
I find pink makes me feel comfortable.
--Donald and Sharon (not sure if it is Donald or Sharon that it makes feel comfortable, but probably both. My husband wears a pink shirt and light pink herringbone jacket – I promise, it’s tasteful, on Easter and looks fabulous, though he didn’t say anything about being comfortable…he does, however, get a lot of compliments)
Pink makes me feel wonderful because it is my favorite color.
--Jessica (I am sure that if I knew Jessica she would be one of my BFF’s)
Pink is calming in soft tones. Very gentle and soothing.
--Sunny (You’d think that with Sunny’s name that she would be talking about yellow, but once again, Sunny is a smart girl and knows her colors)
Pink has always made me feel pretty. When I look at pink, I think of innocence, gentleness, calmness, and babies. Pink baby lips, pink baby feet, pink roses are like baby roses and red roses are like grownup roses. I love pink!
--Kalin (I love that)
I hate PINK! I have a couple of dress shirts that are pink and I very rarely wear them. The apartment that I live in through the week has a PINK dining room wall, it drives me crazy, I almost did not rent the place because of it. If I could have found something different for the same price or less with the same amount of space I would not have rented it. NO MORE PINK!
--Connie (we need to talk)
Pink makes me feel feminine.
--Helen (Yeah, Helen)
I like pink. It reminds me of a baby girl just born and smelling of baby oil.
--Marlene (ahh, I like that)
Pink is a happy, playful color. I find myself surrounded by pink even though my favorite color is green. I am coming out of a long bout with depression and pink makes me feel good, calm and happy.
--Angela (I agree with you, Angela)
Pink makes me feel both strong and weak, a perfect harmony of feeling delicate and dominant.
--Dueling Dualities
All of a sudden now that I've just turned 49 I have the need to wear pink! I feel like I need to wear some pink every day. It might be reclaiming my girlhood. It also could be that I'm enjoying making friends more and pink is the color of friendship.
--Sherry (another smart girl)
I LOVE PINK. Pink is pretty, girly, loud, bold, fun, and sometimes sexy. It bothers me when people dislike pink, it's like they're subconsciously rebelling against youthful femininity or something. I love being a girl, so I love pink, and I always will...but in response to Connie, I would never ever paint a wall in my home pink.
--Linda (you go girl, but I do have to disagree on the pink wall - I am currently an owner of some pink walls and they are awesome)
Young and silly - pretty, little, girlie, frilly...
--Vivien (thumbs up)
Pink is thought to have a calming effect. One shade known as "drunk-tank pink" is sometimes used in prisons to calm inmates. Sports teams sometimes paint the opposing teams locker room pink to keep the players passive and less energetic. (Seriously?)
Credit to: http://desktoppub.about.com/cs/colorselection/p/pink.htm

How does pink make you feel? Do you associate pink with certain qualities or situations?

 Happy Pink Saturday!!

Diamonds are a man's best friend

Russell Conwell:
In 1870 when making a circuit of the earth as the correspondent of the New York Tribune, I visited Baghdad and there we hired a guide to show us down the Euphrates and the Tigris Rivers. He was full of ancient traditions and on the first day down the river, he told me their tradition concerning acres of diamonds, which I have used in my lecture six thousand times.
He said that there once lived, in, near the river Indus an ancient Persian by the name of Al Haphid. He said that Al Haphid owned a large farm, that he had orchards and grain fields and gardens—money at interest—and was counted as a wealthy and a happy man. Happy because he was wealthy and wealthy because he was contented. One day there visited him one of the ancient Buddhist priests—a wise man of the East—who told him about the discovery of diamonds in Europe. He said that the diamonds are so very valuable that if Al Haphid had a handful he could purchase the whole country, and with a mine of diamonds, he could place his children upon thrones, through the influence of their great wealth. Al Haphid heard all about diamonds, and determined to seek for them.

He sold his farm the next day and with the money departed, traveling up and down the whole of Europe. He sought in every place where he had heard of any indication of such gems but finding none, he spent all his money and became very poor, in rags, in poverty, and in hunger. And at last, in despair, he flung himself into the sea—on the shore of the Thames—and sank from sight, never to rise in this life again.

When the old guide had told me this half of his story, he left me to go back and fix the baggage. I had an opportunity to meditate upon that story, and wonder what the wise point of it could be, for the old guide never told a story but to illustrate some great principle or to fasten upon the mind some especial tradition. Therefore, when he was gone, I said to myself, “That story must mean that it is foolish for a man to move away from his own home.”

And very soon afterwards, the guide returned and took up the halter of my camel again and went into the second chapter of his story. When the old guide returned to my camel and took up the halter again he went right on with the same story as though there had been no break. He entered into the second chapter by saying that Al Haphid’s successor—the man who bought his farm in India—one day led his camel out into the garden to drink. And as that animal put his nose down into the shallow water of that garden brook, Al Haphid’s successor noticed a curious flash of light from the white sands of the stream, and reaching in, he pulled out a black stone having an eye of light which reflected all the hues of the rainbow.

And he took that pebble into the house, and put it on the mantle—which covers the central fires in an Eastern house—and then went his way, and forgot all about it. A few days after that, this same old priest came in to visit Al Haphid’s successor and the moment he entered the drawing room door he saw that flash of light from the mantle and he rushed up to it and shouted, “Here’s a diamond! Here’s a diamond! Has Al Haphid returned?” The old farmer said that Al Haphid had not returned and also said, “That is not a diamond. It is nothing but a stone. We found it right out here in our garden.” Said the old priest, “I know a diamond when I see it. That is a diamond.”
Then together they rushed out into that garden and they stirred up the white sands with their fingers, and 'lo there came up other more beautiful, more valuable gems than the first. “And, thus,” said the guide to me, “was discovered the great diamond mines of Galconda, the most magnificent diamond mine in all the history of the world. The Koohinor of England, and the Orlov of Russia, the greatest crown jewels on earth came from Galconda’s diamond mines.”
When the old guide had finished his second chapter, he then took his precious cap off his head and swung it around in the air to get my attention to his moral. And as he swung his hat over his head, he shouted to me: "Had Al Haphid remained at home and dug in his own cellar, or underneath his own wheat fields, or in his own garden, instead of wretchedness, starvation, poverty, and suicide in a strange land, he would have had acres of diamonds!"

This story is one of my favorites because it teaches us to quit looking in other places for our happiness or purpose. Our purpose is where we are. We already have what we need to accomplish what we have been called to do. Recently I was talking to a dear friend of mine that I knew in high school. We reconnected after many years and she shared with me that God has used her in many people's lives and that most of it has been through Facebook. Wow! God really can use us wherever we are, whatever we do, and who we are. Perhaps what we are doing isn't what we think we should be doing, but is God using us? I think yes! Can our attitude keep us from being effective for Him? Maybe where you are isn't where you think you should be. But while you wait, allow God to work His purpose through you - after all He has already equipped you to do His work - the diamonds are already there. Perhaps you just need to harvest them.

Here is the link to credit back to: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5768/

The Airport

After 51 days, 8 hours and 10 minutes, I got to reunite with my daughter who had been away for the summer. I made the 3 hour drive up to Denver International Airport hoping and praying that I would not be late. I had received a text from her that said they were going to be an hour early. Needless to say I put the pedal to the metal. (I always wanted to say that). I arrived with time to spare because the plane was not as early as expected. Whew, I thought! I can relax a little. I found my way to a shop that was selling single roses for $5 each or a dozen for $19.98. Five dollars for a single rose?! Why, that's highway robbery as my grandfather used to say. But, they've got us because our emotions are running high and we would gladly spend money to show our loved one returning home how much we love them. Once I bought the rose, I settled down into a chair among others who were waiting for their loved ones to arrive. Some had gone to elaborate measures with signs that said, "Welcome to Colorado" or "Welcome to the United States." I watched as some lovers reunited in a warm embrace and a young lady yelling at someone and then running and jumping into his arms. It was then that I decided that I was sitting in the happy place at the airport. I had the opportunity to watch others including a little girl who kept telling her mama how excited her daddy would be. What a fun place to be - seeing people smile, warm embraces, the energy that they gave off because of their excitement....Then it was my turn. Surely this group, I thought, will have my daughter in it. I stood there and could feel my body tense up with excitement when I saw my daughters beautiful face. The lady next to me must have sensed it because I saw out of the corner of my eye that she was stepping to the side as if to give me room to make my way toward my daughter. I could see her looking for me and then I saw her eyes light up and her mouth form a smile and I knew that she saw me. Ahhh, it is in those moments that you wish time would stand still so that you could hold onto the memory just as it is. But, since that doesn't happen, I will just tuck that memory away in my heart and pull it out anytime I need to go to my happy place.

Diamonds are a girl's best friend

Today I hosted a luncheon for some friends. We had such a nice time - good food, laughter, flowers, pretty china - just being together. With our fast paced world today, we often miss out on the one-on-one time that we spend with others. We are so busy driving, texting, working, etc. that we don't often take the time to visit with those we care about. I'm glad I slowed down enough to spend time with some of the special blessings in my life. At each of their places I wrapped a diamond ornament in some tulle and set it above their place with this saying: Diamonds are made beautiful and valuable under pressure. Thank you for being one of the diamonds in my life. I have been blessed with wonderful women in my life and they are all diamonds. Each of them has had their own struggles that has made their beauty shine through even more. I want to make sure that I let them know how special they are to me as well as to others. What about you? What is your diamond story?