Song Sung Blue

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Song sung blue, everybody knows one.
Song sung blue, every garden grows one.

Apparently, everybody likes the color blue, too. According to one poll, blue was the clear favorite out of six colors, scoring a full 8% more than the next most popular, green.

It’s an unusual day when we don’t experience something blue, whether it’s the sky, a body of water, or even a song sung blue… after all, everybody knows one.

Even Maggie, you’ll recall my very own lady in red, is very much ‘blue’ according to personality analytic tools such ‘True Colors’. ‘Personality Dimensions’, another interesting and astonishingly accurate character profiling system describes the ‘Blue’ traits this way:

people-oriented
relates well to others
makes a favorable impression
creates a cohesive environment
enthusiastic and stimulating
sensitive to the needs of others
supportive, empathetic, inspirational
expressive and animated
seeks and appreciates harmony
ethical, honest, and sincere
concerned for others
optimistic

That’s my Maggie; all of the above, and then some!

Contrast this with my own ‘green‘ traits which display a strong preference to be more aloof and introspective and you’ll wonder how we even get along. Then again, Personality Dimension suggests that blues are very much attracted to greens and vice versa.

Maybe there’s something to that ‘opposites attract’ saying after all. One study suggests that we don’t necessarily seek out the opposite as much as we look for the complementary – the things present in the other person that we feel will complete ourselves.

We’ll deal more with the fascinating topic of relationships in another article series. I will be interested in discovering if most people seek compatibility vs. completeness.

Peace I Give You

As mentioned above, blue is a universally popular color. The tradition of a bride wearing something blue shows the color as a symbol of loyalty and faithfulness. Dark blue exudes trust, confidence, intelligence and unity, making it the color of police uniforms and corporate executive ‘power suits’.

When giving blue flowers such as an iris or hydrangea, the blue star anemone and commelina or the blue delphinium, you are really offering the recipient a refreshing break from an anxious and sometimes hostile world. Blue floral arrangements have a calming and tranquil effect unmatched by any other color.

Wearing blue gemstones such as Aquamarine, Blue Fluorite, and Blue Topaz are said to awaken intuition and ease loneliness. Earrings, wrist and ankle bracelets and necklaces are the best choices for wearing jewelry as they allow the vibrations of the stones to work more closely with the body’s natural pulse points. In this way, the gemstones truly become therapeutic.

Care must be taken to balance the color blue. Yes, blue is the color of happiness (see “Blue Skies” lyrics) and even heaven itself (see “My Blue Heaven” lyrics). Too much blue may cause a person to become self-centered, melancholy, over-reactive and arrogant. On the other hand, not enough blue may cause one to become timid, clinging, dependent and unable to express oneself.

Once In A Blue Moon

I should get a blue ribbon (top prize) for looking all this up.
And it’s not like this stuff came out of the blue (unexpectedly)
However, you should know that I don’t come from Blueblood (privilege or noble ranking)
It really is a Blue Monday (rainy, dreary, depressing) as I write this.
But you won’t hear me singing the blues (complaining about my circumstances)
That happens only once in a blue moon (second full moon in a calendar month, indicating a rare event)
The only bird that can see the color blue is the owl
Productivity increases when people work in blue rooms
Want to attract twice as many mosquitoes? Wear something blue.

Blue Around the World

Blue is the color of mourning in Mexico
Mailboxes are blue in the U.S.
Sacrifice is symbolized by the color blue in Aztec culture
You can ward off the Greek superstitious ‘evil eye’ by wearing a blue pendant or bracelet.

A Little ‘Blues Brothers’ Wisdom

It’s a cold, rainy, dreary Monday as I write this from Toronto on April 20, 2009. This bit of wisdom from the Blues Brothers is sure to put a smile on your face.