Yellow Makes Me Happy

The story about a color that changed my life

Or maybe I should say how a color changed my life. Because that is what happened. Yellow changed the way how I look onto things. It changed my reality. It changed my momentum. Yellow made me happy.

When it all started

I was a teenage girl when I discovered yellow. I’ve always been different. I hated pink and everything which got put into the world of stereotypes of a child. I hated Barbie and loved playing Lego. I loved playing soccer, climbing trees and playing in the mud. Any activity which got put onto the stereotype of a typical boy would be interesting for me.

I don’t know what I saw when I first decided to like yellow. I don’t know why I decided to like yellow. I just remember having a conversation with my mom about it. She got worried.

While I kept on coming home with new clothes and shoes in yellow. She knew I would change my mind soon and what then? What then with all my clothes? But what do you think did I respond to her?

“I will never not like yellow.”

A typical teenage girl’s answer. And like a typical parent of a teenage girl, my mom couldn’t do anything about it. She left it.

And now?

Here I am. 15 years later. Still covered in yellow.

The only time I might have been right as a teenager. Because I don’t see myself changing in that way.

I love yellow.

“Yellow stands for sunshine, hope and happiness.” – Jennifer Bourn

I compare yellow with a sunny day. With a field of sunflowers. I connect yellow with happiness. It’s a friendly color. A color that turns you into an optimistic person.

I do look at things differently. I look at things from the bright side. Because why not? Why should I always expect the worst? See the worst in a situation.

Why can I not walk around giving compliments to people? Finding the positive side of things. Seeing the bit of sunshine on a rainy day. Which would be for me going out with a yellow umbrella. Or a yellow rain jacket. And play in the rain. Because water means life. And life means happiness.

How other people describe it

You can talk to people and even if they might not remember my name. If you say the girl in yellow. They will know immediately who you are talking about. I created a brand name of myself. A yellow version of myself. Which is the real me.

People send me pictures from stores when they see a yellow dress. Or a pair of yellow flip flops. They will buy a yellow piece of something and give it to me. Because when they saw it they hand to think of me. They smiled. And bought it. Because they know how easy it is to make me happy. Bring me something yellow. And I will smile.

I get asked questions from people worrying about me if I walk around with a grey hoodie or a pair of black pants. Or if I don’t have a single piece of yellow on me. But that actually doesn’t happen. My wallet is yellow. My shoes are yellow. I do have yellow underwear. And obviously yellow jewelry.

So I will always have something yellow to wear. And if I answer them back that I can’t wear all the time yellow they reply with „yes you do!“ And they are actually right.

If I grab my grey hoodie it is usually to express myself. That I am not happy right now. This is not my day. I am in a bad mood. Don’t talk to me. But that is when they talk to me. And that is how they bring me back up. Push me. Motivate me again. Until I take off that grey hoodie and the yellow shirt underneath comes out. Until the yellow shines again.

“That’s better.”

They will say when I change my clothing.

Because that is the Anne they know. The Anne they like. The happy Anne. Filled with enthusiasm and drawn to be active. To do things. To get people together.

And that is also the one I like the most.

Yellow can be a conversation starter (for me)

I might be shy to approach strangers. Or to have a phone call with someone I don’t know. But if there is someone coming to the restaurant with a yellow bag I’m the first one standing next to her complimenting the beauty of this bag. And starting a conversation with that person. Because of the color yellow.

That represents positivity, energy, freshness and joy. Because life is a joy. It should be a joy. If it’s not, try to put some yellow into your life. Some yellow flowers. Serviettes or a painting with happy colors. Including yellow.

Countries in Africa and south-east Asia inspired me to different options of yellow. They create beautiful clothing with a mixture of lots of colors. Happy colors. Because their cultures represent happiness.

While I cannot go to a funeral back home because I do refuse to wear all black I loved being at a funeral in Ghana. They celebrate the person’s life at their funeral. With happy colors and lots of dancing. That felt like the right place to be in.

The religion and culture is based more on happiness than the Christian churches. Where black and white dominate all the events in life. In my opinion at least. This is all my opinion. Or the expression of my emotions.

And this is why I will continue wearing yellow. Because it represents my emotions. My feelings. And because it makes me happy. Wearing yellow makes me smile.

Thank you for reading this article. If you would like to read more about positive things in life, you might enjoy these articles: