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What Color Affects Your Happiness?

A personal story of inexplicable tempered overnight, by a whiteout
unhappiness. blizzard, which dumped deep snowdrifts on
Several years ago my husband and I left the cheerless city; we set out, once
New Zealand, to travel through several more, for the airport.
States of North America and Mexico. But that sense of loss and discomfort had
The flight left in the early evening, grown much stronger and I struggled to
flying straight out from Auckland, identify its cause. I was becoming
leaving behind myriads of twinkling seriously depressed, even though I was on
lights and dark blue velvet seas. a wonderful holiday. Whatever could be
Approximately twelve hours later, our wrong? I'd slept comfortably; so it
aircraft descended at Los Angeles, couldn't be jetlag. I was luxuriously
through a sickly soup of greyish-yellow accommodated, so it wasn't discomfort
fog. It bumped down on the tarmac, to the either.
kind of depressing pollution for which We moved on, flying from Cleveland to
Los Angeles is famous. Chicago, Illinois, where we stopped
Not wishing to venture outside, we overnight, before travelling up next
collected our things and scurried to afternoon, to Milwaukee by railroad.
transfer on to an earlier flight to During the morning, we visited the
Atlanta, Georgia. Once clear of Los Chicago Art Museum and I was fascinated
Angeles, it was a beautiful experience to spy a family of grey squirrels,
flying across the United States, viewing frolicking among the frosty,
from the windows of our plane, the moving bare-branched azalea bushes in the
geography of a mighty country in all its garden, fronting the Gallery, on Madison
beautiful colors. Avenue.
We crossed the mountains, their tops Next morning, as the train passed through
gleaming with the last of the winter's the Wisconsin countryside, we marvelled
snow and flew over the chequered plains at the magnificent German-inspired
beyond. Below us, we saw the mighty architecture of farm homesteads. The
Mississippi River, with its many boats spring thaw was just beginning and what
scurrying up and down that mighty grass we could see, still had that
waterway like ants carrying cargoes and lifeless, straw-colored look, we'd
building their nest. After sitting for a noticed at all our previous stopovers.
while in a holding pattern, over Georgia, Although a pale sun filtered across the
we eventually landed in Atlanta, an landscape, it was still far too cold for
airport about four times the size of the bare trees to sprout leaves.
Sydney airport. On arrival at Milwaukee, we were greeted
Apart from the shopping, our stay in by the same sepia tinted landscape, as we
Atlanta was relatively uneventful - I did drove to the hotel, and I felt again, the
the usual tours and shopped, while my grip of unfamiliar unease and depression.
husband attended a conference. Two days Determined to get the most out of this
later, with heavier bags, we headed north trip, I tried to ignore these unhappy
on a flight to Buffalo - en route to feelings. To combat them, I set about
Niagara Falls, Canada. being busy, in an unfamiliar city.
Circling Buffalo airport five times, The next day, on our return to the
(something that is considered exceptional Phister hotel from a tour of Milwaukee,
over there), during which, there were the doors of our hotel lift sprang apart
several emergencies with defective and a large group of women, carrying
landing gear, the crew eventually put the prized tiny poinsettia plants, spilled
plane down on to the tarmac. As we slewed out into the hotel foyer.
round to a halt on the snow-covered Memories of my healthy ten-foot high
runway, the relieved American travellers, poinsettia bush, growing at the front
more aware of the emergency than we were, doorway of my home flooded back and I
showered the crew with tumultuous felt homesick for the first time in my
applause. life. Try as I might, I couldn't shake
By this time, it was dark and we off the depression and sense of loss, I
shivered, as we emerged from the plane, felt.
to the wintry chill of minus fourteen Shopping till we dropped, after seeing
degrees. Warmed by hot coffee from the the sights, we finally pushed our
airport café, we began the twenty-two trolleys through the airport, towards our
mile drive from Buffalo to Niagara Falls plane to Mexico City. Once in the air, we
in a cab. It was the beginning of March, enjoyed the flight down the path of the
just around the time of the spring thaw, mighty Mississippi River, which wound its
although to us it felt like being in the way south, to the Gulf of Mexico. For a
middle of a hard winter in Queenstown, while, the deep feelings of unease
New Zealand. subsided, as our minds concentrated on
The cab driver, a New York State man - the view below us.
born in the Bronx - and his non-stop Five hours later, we landed at Mexico's
humorous patter, kept us entertained on airport, soaring down through a blanket
the long, cold drive to the Falls. of thick smog that enshrouded that mighty
Fortunately, my husband had the presence city, home at that time, to eighteen
of mind, to tape the conversation, so we million people.
have since enjoyed reliving that ride, Finally emerging through the gates, we
many times over. were swept into a Combi Van, in the guise
On entering Niagara Falls and before of a taxi, to begin the ride of our
being dropped to our hotel, on the lives. In and out of an unending flood of
Canadian side, we called to see the tail traffic, our driver wove his van, hooting
end of the Niagara Falls evening and screaming indecipherable oaths at
illuminations. other drivers, as he went. Memories of
Although slabs of ice, crashing onto the the song `Tijuana Taxi' were vividly
river below, seemed enchanting, the recalled, as we hurtled forward -
colors playing on the cascading water and accelerator - brake, swerve, accelerator
illuminating the fine misty spray, which - brake, swerve, towards our hotel, a
rose several hundred feet into the air former Mexican palace.
above the river, left us breathless. We As our tortured vehicle squealed round a
were entranced to see frozen spray corner on the Zocalo; the largest - and
dropping down on to the trees below, to busiest - highway in the world; I saw a
form perfect icicles. At that moment, sight that brought tears to my eyes.
were in wonderland. But, oh it was so On a traffic island, in the middle of
cold! this amazingly busy highway, stood a
Next morning, we awoke to temperatures of tree. A tree, so green, it brought a lump
minus eight degrees, which quickly to my throat. At that sight, I cried like
plummeted to minus twelve. Weak rays of a baby. That tree revealed the answer to
pale sunshine, valiantly tried to warm my distress.
the frozen landscape, through which we Green! An absence of green from my life
toured the famous sights around the had deeply disturbed my happy
falls. disposition.
Looking out at the frozen spectacle was I'd travelled this huge distance, to find
like stepping back in time. I was out how important is one of the most
reminded of my mother's battered photo basic influences on my life. Green! It is
album with its many sepia-toned a color deeply embedded in my psyche. The
photographs. surroundings of my lifetime were peppered
The trees in North America are deciduous, with green, as the dominant flora of New
losing their leaves in autumn, before the Zealand is made up of evergreen trees.
bitter winter's chill attacks them. The During my childhood, many of my spare
sepia colors I was encountering in that hours were spent happily climbing the
wintry panorama seemed the same as in the trees surrounding my home, a place of
album. exquisitely green lawns and clipped
Two days later, we left again for hedges. In flashbacks, I remembered my
Buffalo, to fly on to Cleveland in Ohio. adolescence, when I'd tramped through
A sharp frost had left an icy terrain in miles of mountain beech forests, without
its wake and, as we drove to Buffalo, ever realising, what a vital part they
through miles of snow-covered landscape, played. And now, an adult, I'd created
I began to feel a decided unease that I luxuriant gardens, featuring lush green
blamed on jetlag. I was depressed; ferns and evergreen trees.
although depression is not something I Yet, for more than forty years, I'd taken
have previously suffered. those important and fertile surroundings
Our stay in Cleveland was unusual; we for granted - until that moment.
arrived for St Patrick's Day and In that instant, when I saw that tree, I
witnessed a huge St Patrick's parade, knew my life could never be complete
where thousands of genuine (and without the healing and relaxing shades
would-be), Irishmen, turned out for the of green; the color of Mother Nature
celebration. It was interesting to see herself. I'll never forget how important
dyed green hair and to drink green beer. a part the color green plays in my life.
Everything that day was Irish! It is the source of my happiness and
A day later, after exploring the tourist inspiration.
haunts and Art Galleries of Cleveland,




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