Orange!

My Response to Jean Houston's Question About Orange!

In first grade, I suppose it must’ve been, we learned to say the names of the months. In my mind, sitting at my desk, I would quietly repeat in my head along with the teacher: Tishrei, Cheshvan, Kislev, Tevet, Shvat, Adar, Nissan, Iyar, Sivan, TAPUZ! She would say Tamuz but I would say Tapuz! Quietly in my head, that is. Tapuz rhymes with Tamuz. Tapuz is orange – the fruit. Since I always loved oranges – both colour and fruit – this always made me so happy! Upon moving to America and meeting a Jessica for the first time, I was sure her name meant ‘orange juice’ – well, obviously! What else could it mean? It sounds like squeezing and freshness to me, but I never told her this. It was many years – no, decades – before I finally tried out this theory on a Jessica. She seemed surprised and said over Zoom that no, she really didn’t think her name sounded like ‘orange juice.’ I still think it does! Sigh …. Oranges just make me happy! My orange sandals sit before me as I write this with an orange bracelet enveloping my left wrist. My hair is also still orange or copper – not red! It never was that, no matter what it’s called – and it’s not ginger, either. Orange lotion my mom bought me sits on my table, and behind me on this chair is an orange-coloured Ethiopian garment the name of which I know not but that it is cotton and comfortable, covers my shoulders, and is beaded on both ends, I do know …. Now I must break to go eat pizza covered in sun-dried tomatoes and richly goopy orangey yellow soaked long bell peppers …. They won’t make me orange, but I wish they would! Now I’m reminded of that time I tried to dye my skin orange with henna in the bathroom of the San Francisco Youth Hostel and was kicked out and banned from there for doing so – I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to do this! It didn’t work or take, by the way. I didn’t become orange because of it – but I tried! Of course, orange still represents me especially in my third-grade year of eight to eight (because my birthday is in the summer, unlike most others), and so … I AM orange! When Jean Houston asks ‘Who do you know who is Orange in their way of being?’ meaning who is joyous and outgoing -- that is me! I’d like to be some other citrus, also ….

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Written a few days before my birthday, during the afternoon sadhana time … !

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Proof of my love of orange in my life!

Quinoa-and-corn-stuffed orange bell pepper:

Me taking a break from the awful news almost a year ago … showing my orange hair, orangish leaves, and burnt orange scarf:

Carrot in a sleeping bag!

Romanian embroidered shirt with orange and red flowers:

Orange markers in a personalized pencil cup with my name in Ukrainian:

Lightening over an orange grove (Inspired by a drive by Floridian groves):