I was reminded this morning of a pink house that was in town many several years ago.
While neat with a pristine minimalist front yard, the color of this house caused much consternation in the neighborhood ~ so much so that the neighbors took up a petition to have the town hall make the owners of the house change its Pepto-Bismo pink house to a more sedate color that the neighbors preferred.
To the dismay of the neighborhood, there were no rules on the books that gave town hall the power to accommodate the wishes of the signers of this petition.
The pink house stayed pink.
I must admit, I was taken aback by the color of this house at first. But it soon grew on me, especially when I saw how happy it made my daughter to look upon this "non compliantly" colored house. And soon enough the house would cheer me up every morning as I drove on my way to work.
I once had a chance to speak with the owner of the pink house. I told him how much my daughter loved the house, and how awful it was for the neighbors to band together against this "property value reducing" house in their midst.
The owner was a gentle and kind man who had never intended to disturb his neighbors with his and his wife's choice of color. To him, it was a pretty and cheerful color. And he felt very sorry for his narrow-minded neighbors.
How is it that people admire houses of different and attention-grabbing colors while they travel to places like San Francisco and yet abhor the very same bright colors in their own neighborhood?
Why is it OK for a house to be pink elsewhere than in their own seaside New England town?
The pink house is still there. But it's no longer pink. Now it's an approved shade, fitting in nicely in a neighborhood where the houses are the color of old coffee and sickly flesh. The pristine minimalist front yard now has a nice and approved lush lawn.
The neighbors are happy.
About Me
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- Pixelektra
- Ever since I had first learned how to read, reading had been my passion. In fact, it's been a downright addiction. Because writing is the flip-side of reading, I feel that it is my obligation to repay the efforts of the many word-smiths whose works I have enjoyed through my own written words. In addition, I further extend this obligation to balance the many negative elements (along with poor spelling) found on the Internet by writing things that are positive ~ things that can inspire or at least bring a smile to the soul. As an artist, I often have an unusual perspective of the world around me. Given that consideration, it is both an honor and a privilege to share my views with others. Enjoy.
1 comment:
Neringa,
There's a house here in Lexington that is also Pepto Bismol pink. Everyone knows about the house and thinks it looks awful. People even complained about it in a news feature a few months ago. The owners don't care and good for them. I think it looks great - a welcome change from the cookie cutter bland beige houses that all look alike.
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