Going green

My favorite color is green.

With all the heavy topics dominating the world these days, this might seem like a rather mundane topic. And it probably is.

But in my house, which is inhabited by a 6-year-old and a 9-year-old, it’s a topic that’s not altogether uncommon. As in, “Dad, what’s your favorite color?” Or, “Dad, what’s your second-favorite color?” Or, “Dad, what’s your favorite animal?” Or, “Dad, what’s your favorite number?” Or, “Dad, who’s your favorite ‘SpongeBob’ character?”

So, naturally, it’s helpful to have answers to these questions. And when it comes to the color question, the answer is green.

Green has been a favorite since childhood. At the time, blue just seemed too trite; and most of the girls were picking red as a favorite color, so I picked green. And I’ve more or less stuck by it ever since.

I like green because it’s the color of nature, the color of life. Green trees. Green grass. Green plants. I’ve always been a spring-summer kind of person, and green is one of the main colors associated with this time of year.

Many of my fondest memories of childhood are associated with green. I used to go camping with my parents in the green woods. I spent hours playing baseball and football and soccer on a green field. At summer camp, we were surrounded by green. And whenever winter would near its end, the appearance of green things poking through the dirt and snow, and on the edges of tree branches, was always the surest sign that spring was almost here.

Green is versatile, too. There’s dark green, and light green. There’s kelly green and mint green. There’s lime green and even teal (though the blue crowd might also lay claim to that one.) Other colors, like pink and yellow are pretty much one-dimensional. One shade does it all. But with green, you get a whole spectrum of attractive options.

If I had to pick a second-favorite color, I’d go for orange. For one thing, it’s the color of my kids' school, so naturally, we have quite a few orange items in our wardrobes. I’ve known some men who didn’t feel comfortable wearing orange, but I have no problem with it. I guess I’m comfortable enough with my masculinity not to worry about such matters.

I also like orange because it’s often a forgotten color among the “favorite colors.” Millions of people pick blue and red. Lots of girls claim pink as their favorite color. I’ve known people who have favorited purple, and even black. But orange is often left out. And it’s a perfectly good color — cheerful and fun — and not as garish as red or yellow.

I suppose the use of orange by university sports teams both east and west of Arkansas might give folks around here a few misgivings about the color. But as an Iowa native, I have no such irrational aversions.

It may be a little odd, I guess, that my two favorite colors come from opposite sides of the color spectrum. Or perhaps that just gives my choices a nice bit of symmetry.

But whether it makes sense or not, and regardless of its importance, these are the answers I give my kids when they ask such questions.

I also realize that it’s entirely possible that I’ve spent way too much time thinking about this. But as long as we’re on the subject, my favorite animal is a monkey; my favorite number is 9; and my favorite SpongeBob character is Patrick. I'll save the explanations for another time.