I was watching Wheel of Fortune the other evening. Watching might be too strong a word. A more accurate explanation would be that Wheel of Fortune followed the local news broadcast, and I was too lazy to get up and grab the remote. Truth be told, I don’t dislike Wheel of Fortune. It’s just not a show that I’m going to seek out to watch. It’s fine when it comes on. I might even watch until the end to see if I can guess the final puzzle. But it’s really one of those background shows. We all know how the game is played, but we may not go out of our way to turn it on.
Anyway, as the contestants gave their introductions, one woman mentioned her favorite color: yellow. She took it further. She hoped that we could be a yellow for others, or something like that. I wasn’t fully listening, but the idea caught my attention.
One of my favorite colors is also yellow. I knew what she meant about ‘being a yellow.’ There’s something joyful, optimistic, and, well, sunny about yellow. I hope I am a yellow for people in my life. I also seek out those yellows around me.
But I don’t think we just need to be the yellow. Sometimes people need blue to create a sense of calm, or red to bring us back from the brink. How about a purple to deliver creativity, or a white to open up new experiences?
Maybe we also need green with the kind of energy that helps things grow. Green is like the friend who gently nudges you forward when you’re stuck, the person who reminds you that starting over is still moving ahead. And then there’s orange, that burst of enthusiasm that makes an ordinary day feel like something worth celebrating. Pink might be the quiet kindness that shows up with a text, a hug, or a simple “I’m thinking about you.” Even black has its place. Sometimes life calls for someone who can sit in the hard moments with us, steady and grounded, not trying to brighten things right away but simply being present.
If you really think about it, we probably have all the colors within us. Some shine brighter naturally. Others are highlighted by seasons of life or those difficult situations life deals all of us.
The beautiful thing is that we don’t have to be the same color every day. Life changes us. Experiences shape us. Sometimes we’re the bright yellow that brings laughter into a room. Other times, we’re the calming blue someone desperately needs. And sometimes we’re the steady black or the growing green, helping someone make it through a season they never expected to face.
Maybe the real goal isn’t choosing one color to be. Maybe it’s allowing ourselves to become whatever color the moment calls for. To be the encouragement, the calm, the creativity, the laughter, or the steady presence.
And just as important, we shouldn’t be afraid to look for those colors in others when we need them. No one is meant to carry every shade alone. Life works a little better when we surround ourselves with people who bring different colors to the canvas.
So here’s to being a yellow when the moment needs sunshine…a blue when someone needs peace…and every other color in between. The world is brighter when we’re willing to share our colors, and when we’re humble enough to borrow a few from the people around us.
sharing the stairs 