From One Red Door to Another

If you’re a renter, a college student or live in a college town, more than likely you noticed an influx of people this weekend. Yup, it was that time of year again, moving time. And this year more than any other year, I felt like part of the majority. Luckily I have a great new landlord. He let me and my roommate move in early. For those of you who have not had to move on the busiest move-in day of the year, this was a HUGE help. I was settled in before the Tufts students even packed their cars. Needless to say, I was able to enjoy the end of my Labor Day weekend while others were still laboriously lugging furniture and boxes.

It was during this arduous process that I noticed a fun, but interesting coincidence about my new and old apartments. Our first apartment was the bottom floor of a house. It was spacious for three people. We loved the character that it has, great hard wood floors and original doors. The only downside was the plaster walls. They made it very difficult to hang anything of substance on the walls. The new apartment is about a mile away from our cute little three bedroom. It is a two bedroom (got to LOVE downsizing!) in an apartment complex. It has a small balcony, not nearly as much character, but has good walls that can hold anything. The one thing that these two “homes” have in common is a red door…

Old diggs...

New diggs...

I know what you’re thinking. Who cares about the color of a door? It doesn’t matter; it’s something that you walk through, that keeps unwanted “guests” out. That is true. But let me explain... I love color. I feel like it's one of the best forms of self-expression. For those of you who follow color theory, red is a warm color associated with positivity, strength, and a will to survive. According to the website empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com, the color red is “energizing…excites the emotions and motivates us to take action.” In other words, it is a strong color emitting confidence and a passion for life.

To me this means something. As a person who has officially been a college graduate for over a year and living on my own for almost a year, it makes me feel like I am on the right path. Let me back up. I don’t think it’s a coincidence, but a sign from God that I am doing the right things for me at this moment. I may be young and living a hectic life, but for right now, I think this is the path that I am supposed to be on. I am making the right choices passionately, whole-heartedly. I am trying to figure out who I am, why I am here, my purpose in life, all the while motivated to live every second of life, good and bad. And as stupid as it sounds (at least I have the confidence to admit it) the color of my door gives me hope, strength. I am still chugging, still pushing through, thriving. I am still here, living, wanting, needing, learning, growing. And for now, that’s all I need. Be young, but mature. Love with your whole heart. Take risks, open up with the energy and determination that others around me have shown their entire life. Laugh with every ounce of your being. Live with the warmth that you would want from others. And above all embody the color red.

New England Found Nemo...

View from my window

...or better yet, Nemo found us. This weekend's past storm was one for the history books. Nemo was the fifth largest snow fall in Boston history. Friday afternoon through Saturday night, the threat of Nemo cancelled flights, caused parking and driving bans throughout the state of Massachusetts, and even shut down the public transportation services in and around Boston.


I have lived through many snowfalls, blizzards and record-breaking snowstorms. Yet, amazement ensued when I looked out my window onto my street that Saturday morning. I could not believe the snow piles on top of cars and roofs, the snow-covered streets and sidewalks. It was the most peaceful I had ever seen a city... Everything looked new and white. Crisp and clean, and very cold.


As soon as we were able to work up enough courage to bundle up and muster outside, my roommate Michelle and I slowly realized that the city was not snowed in; it was very much alive. People were not driving down the streets in their cars. Oh no. They were skiing and walking down them. Families and friends were sledding down snowbanks and piles, while throwing snowballs at each other. I felt like everyone was just happy to have each other. I saw so many happy faces, young and old. And it made this new found city-girl realize something...

Union Square- Somerville, MA

No matter where you are, family and friends are the most important thing in life. Like the little fish with the gimpy fin in the Disney classic Finding Nemo (I couldn't help this reference...), there may be things that make us different or traumatic events in our lives. But we must all keep our heads up and focus on the positive. We must appreciate the people we have in our lives even though they may be annoying or pests. We are all loved by someone. Focus on those people and the little things that happen in that relationship. And I'm sure at the end of it all, you will be happy too!




So thanks Nemo, for refreshing these thoughts in my mind. Thank you for renewing my hope in humanity. And most of all, thank you for the awesome images of a little clown fish swimming above New England. Hopefully, I can keep these positive feelings for a very long, long time.