Orange

Dear friend, 

        I am having a difficult time getting started on my assignment due on Tuesday for my writing class. Our professor asked us to write a story of no more than two-hundred words, and so far, just thinking about it has been challenging. I have many ideas but I haven't expanded on any of them yet. So I'm writing you this letter in hopes of maybe sparking that desire which will lead to a pair of paragraphs consisting of no more than two-hundred words. I hope you're feeling okay today. If not, that's okay too. 

         A few months ago, I presented a short slideshow to a few of my friends about the colour orange. It wasn't particularly lengthy or informative, it was just something I was passionate about and decided to share. I'll include what I wrote about in this next section. 

"Good evening! I hope you are well. My presentation today will be regarding the colour orange and also the broader concept of hidden beauty; a theme that connects with this colour more than you probably know. If orange isn’t one of your favourite colours, I’m not here to try and change your mind, I’m simply here to share some of my thoughts and experiences with orange. I hope you find this somewhat interesting and feel free to ask any questions once I’ve finished my slides. 

So when you think of the word “orange”, what’s the first thing you think about? Most of you probably thought of the fruit that is called an orange, or maybe if you’re feeling a little spooky, pumpkins! Keep thinking and you might have thought about the autumn season and October 31st, Halloween. Perhaps you even thought about the Japanese romance manga series called Orange. All of these things absolutely relate to the word orange but to set up the rest of my presentation, we’ll be looking at the various definitions of this vibrant and tasty colour. 

The word orange originated from the Persian language and made its way through Arabia before eventually ending up in the English language that we commonly use and speak today. This word can both be used as a noun and an adjective. As a noun, it is used to name the tangy fruit that many of us love to eat during a summertime picnic or maybe a spring gathering. As an adjective, it is used to describe a mix between red and yellow, two of the more popular colours in society today. 

In fact, the reason that the word orange was invented was because people were having a difficult time describing the combination of red and yellow; so in a way, orange is a child of these 2 colours much like how purple is the child of red and blue. It is a colour that exudes energy, excitement and warmth. Orange is the first sip of a Sunny-D bottle, the first ray of sunshine that pierces through the white curtains in your room at 7 am in the morning. It is the colour of traffic cones, Crush cans, Tropicana, and falling autumn leaves. 

To engage an example, let’s look at the two Hogwarts houses of Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, what house would you get if you were to combine the 2? Gryffinpuff? Huffledor? What exactly would the members of this fictional house look like and act like? In order to find the answer we must first look at the 2 houses in which this orange house would come from. 

Gryffindors are loyal, brave, strong and courageous. They’re willing to place themselves into the hands of danger and death in order to protect those whom they love no matter the cost. Taking risks is something that they do on a daily basis, whether it be waking up early to go on a 5k run despite their poor sleeping schedule or standing up to the mean lady in the line who isn’t social distancing; Gryffindors don’t shy away from the challenge, they launch themselves into it. 

Hufflepuffs are kind, compassionate, generous, and pure. They put others before themselves and live with humility despite the cruelty of man and the hardness of life. They carry themselves with grace and patience, resorting to peace first before even considering violence. They help clean up the venue even after everyone has left, they’re never at events first because they’re too busy holding the door open for people who’ve just arrived. Hufflepuffs are content with silence and obscurity because it is where they find their peace, along with when they selflessly serve those around them. 

So then what makes Gryffinpuff and Huffledor? In my opinion, Newt Scamander from the Fantastic Beasts movies is probably the closest thing we have to an imaginary orange Hogwarts house. He’s incredibly kind yet super awkward, timid in the face of social situations but courageous when it comes to saving the city from an evil wizard. Newt doesn’t mind spending all of his time with his animals and he also doesn’t often rely on others for his happiness. Yet despite his perceived isolation from society, he can still be courageous when the situation calls for it. 

At the end of it all, the colour orange is an ode to those who don’t mind being in the background, those who remain unrecognized and are completely okay with it. It is a colour that lies within all of us, amidst the streaks of red and yellow lies a single line of vibrant orange, your secret talent, an unnoticed beauty between the lines."

And that was my presentation. I hope a thing or two spoke to you in some way, doesn't have to be anything deep or meaningful of course but I'd be happy to know if you simply felt some way. Honestly, I could've gone on and on but our time limit was five minutes. I might've taken six. But that was a few months ago, it's almost October now; the season of Halloween, pumpkins, hanging plastic skeletons, scarecrows and witch statues from the department store. When I was in the sixth grade, I couldn't stand the colour of orange. One of my friends would wear this ridiculously bright orange hoodie and my eyes were scarred, I decided that I'd avoid wearing anything orange, resorting instead to reds and yellows.

On my trip to the Philippines, I discovered the song Tangerine by Tim Atlas on my friend's playlist, it was on repeat for half an hour. I watched the music video as soon as I got wi-fi and was astounded by the amount of orange that was being shown; only this time, I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. A month later, my other friend who plays violin convinced me to get this soft orange cardigan that I really liked but was unsure of, the fit turned out to be perfect and the colour tone, just right; not too bright but not too dark either, just a soft, buttoned sunset.

I don't mind wearing orange now and I wonder how eleven-year-old Rave would react to me saying that. If I had a few extra words, I'd tell him, "don't be surprised if things change, try your best to embrace them." I think if I told him that, I'd be saving him from a lot of disappointment and sadness. I've always been one to flow with the current anyways, very rarely going against the grain. Troubles come, troubles go, birds migrate to warmer places in December, they return in the Spring.

As Nayyirah Waheed writes, "I don't pay attention to the world ending, it has ended for me many times and began again in the morning."

A few years ago, I hated the sight of orange, now I welcome it. A few months ago, I wanted nothing more than to be out with friends, setting the world on fire with our laughter and bliss as we ventured through the night, now I'm perfectly content with a quiet afternoon and a good book. A few days ago, I didn't think I'd write until I felt I was ready, but here I am, writing to you. I guess what I'm trying to say is that things take time to change, some things longer than others, some shorter. But they'll change regardless. I believe that it is for the best, that there are parts to ourselves that cannot be revealed through any other way but change; rapid, constant, and forward into the future.

Take care of yourself when that change comes. Pay attention to it, welcome it home like an old friend who's just lost their way but has arrived nonetheless. Be at peace with who you are, what you are going through, who you are with, knowing that you are exactly where you need to be. It's all going to be okay, eventually. If not today, then tomorrow. If not tomorrow, the day next.

Remember that there is a time and place for everything.

And you'll do better just as I have, because of it.

All my love,

Rave

Lavender, Holly Warburton, 2019