(Smooth edges)
I was thinking about muted colours. While I was out and about today. All day. Looking at old photos. And even now, at home, in the night. It’s probably related that, today, I feel like my own edges have been smoothed down. That’s not a bad thing.
It’s the way the day was. There’s some pleasure in seeing how the world looks, and there’s pleasure being aware of that pleasure. Does that make sense to you?
Whatever. For me at least, it all kept the day from being a bad day.
I had muted colours as my soft focus. Why muted? It wasn’t deliberate.
In recent months two friends have died. And one relative. And one long-standing good neighbour. Mixed ages. Various causes. Not things to celebrate but at least they weren’t surprises.
I know a couple of people who are lonely. They struggle with it a bit but they’re not down as such. There’s a limit to what I can do for them. But to a large extent that’s just the way things are.
The weather’s nothing great but it’s typical-for-the-time-of-year-these-days weather. That it’s the kind of weather climate change is bringing now is a bit grim. Probably, very grim. But climate change isn’t news.
xxxxxx
So, a muted focus. Perhaps for all of the reasons I’m thinking of now. Perhaps they’ve all ganged up. I don’t know. But at least the muting was generalized; at least it wasn’t negative.
Muted, Nicely
Actively enjoy the quiet. Value the gentle. And value the subtle.
Things can turn out like that.
Know that the muted isn’t inherently dull, nor sombre, nor melancholy. Those connotations are learnt, perhaps imposed, are never universal.
Muted colours and contrasts. It’s not just the bright that counts, nor just the bold.
Spend time. Expend effort. Notice. Appreciate.
Arguably … Weather, climate, geography – they are perhaps more of an active factor in our lives than we readily acknowledge. You can start with Montesquieu saying that geography and climate influences the nature of people and society. You can go back far further for a similar line of reasoning, to Aristotle for example.
Any claims that that line of thought has any merit would need supportive empirical proof. But even without it, on a day of dull light it feels possible.
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