yellow

yellow.
the color of cowardice. it brings to mind the cowardly lion from the wizard of oz. there was an entire book dedicated to the lion, the cowardly lion of oz, that tells of his pursuit of courage. his belief is that if he devours a courageous man, he will replenish his own depleted supply of courage. and as he is afraid of the task, he sets about to accomplish it as quickly as possible.

yellow.
the color of caution. the color's high visibility has given it the honor of gracing warning signs and dividing lines alongside every major, and minor, roadway in our country. even without seeing the symbol contained within its boundaries, the pavlovian response of an experienced driver is to slow down at the sight of yellow.

yellow.
the color of waiting. yellow ribbons. a symbol of patience. a symbol of hope. a symbol of promise.

yellow.
the color of energy. spring flowers. new york city cabs. the color is known to stimulate the nervous system and activate memory. it's been shown in color research to even encourage communication - perhaps the yellow pages were capitalizing on that reaction. (or did the yellow pages come first?)

yellow.
the color of the rising sun. according to korean taekwondo tradition, it is the belt color where the seeds of learning begin to grow. and as of today, it is mine. a small accomplishment, no doubt. but celebrating small victories can still feel good.

if it weren't for the other meanings of yellow swirling around in my head today.. perhaps. perhaps.

d: the yellow ribbon's hope and promise
b: the yellow belt's accomplishment
g: the yellow effect on communication