So what is your favorite color? Mine is definitely red, and I’ve read a lot about just what that means.

First of all, red is not subtle! I’m not terribly subtle, either, and can’t imagine making dull colors like grey or brown my favorites. Even blue, which is probably my second favorite, just isn’t as appealing for me as red.

I’m not thrilled with some of what I read about red, however. For example, I read in the book “The Dewey Color System” by Dewey Sadka, that although “Red gives the impression of seriousness and dignity, represents heat, fire and rage, [and] it is known to escalate the body’s metabolism. Red can also signify passion and love. Red promotes excitement and action. It is a bold color that signifies danger, which is why it’s used on stop signs.”

In fact, in some ways, I’d rather be a lover of green, which was my mother’s favorite. As the book says, people who love green, “Are sure to be constant in your ways, persevering, sensible and respectable. You have a good balance. Outspoken, with a love of freedom, those who like green are generally social and live in a good neighborhood, have many friends and belong to social organizations. ... Your social standing, financial position and reputation are all of top importance to you. You constantly seek affirmation of companionship and affection.”

I’d also partly prefer to love blue best, for it “Represents temperature, sky, water and ice. It is the second most powerful color. It obviously represents coolness, mist and shadows. In some applications it can represent peacefulness and calmness. And as pink represents femininity, blue represents masculinity…. Blue is a contemplative color, meaning intelligence and strength. It is one of the most politically correct colors there is with no negative connotations of it anywhere on the globe.”

Yellow isn’t at all a favorite of mine, but, as the “Basic Psychology” people say, “Yellow, the color nearest to ‘light’ leaves a warm and satisfying impression, lively and stimulating and in many cultures symbolizes deity…. Yellow birds, flowers and skies are sure to be eye-catchers just because of the way the mind and eye works!”

The colors I truly don’t care for are orange and purple, and yet I read that “Orange is symbolic of endurance, strength and ambition” and “Purple symbolizes royalty and dignity.”

Brown, which is certainly not exciting to me, is said to be “useful in balancing out stronger colors, and because it is one of the most predominant hues in nature, it gives a sense of familiarity. Light brown confers genuineness while dark brown is reminiscent of fine wood and leather.”

Even gray, surprisingly, is referred to as the color “around which creative people are most creative” and can even “enhance and intensify any other color it surrounds.”

And as for black, though it’s not exciting, like many bright colors, “It is associated with elegance and class (black-tie affair).” And, along with red, it is my favorite color to wear. My hair is almost white but my eyes are almost black, and therefore black seems to bring out contrasting colors best on me.

Finally, however, we surely would not want a rainbow to have fewer colors, and we wouldn’t want painters to feel they couldn’t use any of the hundreds of possible color types in their creations.

Maybe the best approach, therefore, is my sweetheart’s, which is simply to love all colors as important parts of our beautiful world and be thankful for each of them.