Reminiscences: Musings in Memoir - Prompt #2

PROMPT #2 — GREEN

It’s not easy being green.
Kermit the Frog

Green: It’s the color of envy, of grass, of spring leaves, and of emeralds. Vegetables can be named Green __________ (green peppers, green onions, green tomatoes, etc.) or can be considered “leafy greens.” Green can be putrid or verdant, lush or waning, jewel-dazzling or puke-sick. It is a color the runs the gamut from chartreuse to evergreen and back again from seafoam to mint to malachite to myrtle. In nature, green is indicative of growth — of newness, of spring. In man-made adaptations, green can mean any number of things:

green girl is a somewhat contemptuous term for a sheltered, naive miss
to be given the green light is to receive a clear “go ahead”
evergreen is an adapted-from-nature term sometimes applied to long-term relationships (i.e., evergreen partners)
turning green is a slang term for looking like vomit is imminent

Green as a concept has been co-opted as a title by movements both political and environmental. Greenery can be used to describe anything garden-like, from immense expanses of forestry to tiny emerging bean sprouts. Herbaceous borders are varying shades of green; paper money in several countries contains green dye; rocks can be green (jade, malachite) and so can attitudes (greed, jealousy).

Green is the color most associated with growth and fertility. In terms of energy, green can be positive in terms of representing abundance and renewal; if seen in dreams it can indicate good luck, tranquility, and health.

If you are wearing a mood ring (remember those?) and the stone turns green, the color symbolizes calm. 😉

So for the second prompt in the Reminiscences summer writing project (or winter writing project for my friends in the opposite hemisphere!), please consider ‘green’. (Either literally or metaphorically.)

Is there a symbol that comes to mind when you think of the color green?
Perhaps green evokes holiday memories for you? (Christmas, St Patrick’s Day, etc.)
Have you had an intense experience related to green or any of its meanings?
Maybe you have a favorite band or know a story that alludes to ‘green’? (Green Day and Green Eggs and Ham come to mind.)
Or maybe you have some great memories tied to Kermit the Frog and his theme song:

The point of this writing project is to create new content by writing from your personal memories, with a focus on the form of memoir.

Prompts will be posted on the 10th, 20th, and 30th of each month over the course of the summer. The purpose of the prompts is simply to provide inspiration. You are welcome to use the prompt literally or figuratively, or as a jumping off point that leads you in another direction all together. While the prompt is here for inspiration, adherence to the prompt is not required.

To play:

Write a memoir-esque post.
Link your post either to this prompt or to the Reminiscences project description page. (Use of the badge is optional.)
Leave a comment below – you can use CommentLuv to create a live link to your post on my comment form – to let me know you’re playing.

If you’re not sure where to go with this prompt or how to start, I encourage you to visit the writers who participated in Prompt #1 for inspiration:

If you’ve written something for the first prompt and don’t see your name above it means I don’t have your link — please leave me one and I will add you! 🙂

For more information about this writing project, see here.

If you have additional questions, please let me know. 🙂