Colors talk. Red says eye-catching and stimulating. The Chinese believe red says success; but if that's true, more schools should be painted red or more students should use the school library. It's there to be read.

Blue causes the opposite reaction of red. Blue's peacefulness causes the body to produce calming chemicals. Fashion consultants advise wearing blue to job interviews because it says loyalty. People are more productive when they work in blue rooms. Weightlifters can lift heavier weights in blue gyms. With blue what you see is not what you get.

Orange is one of the healing colors. It stimulates enthusiasm and creativity. Orange says vitality with endurance. If you want change in your life, some say that you should light an orange candle seven nights in a row. Even though this might not change your life, it sounds like a bright idea.

Currently green is the most popular color for decorating. This could be because green has a calming effect, which could explain why many hospital rooms are painted green and why guests waiting to appear on a television show wait in a green room. In the Middle Ages brides wore green as a symbol of fertility. However, seamstresses supposedly think that it's bad luck to sew with green thread the night before a fashion show. I have no idea where that superstition came from, but I think believing the color green helps your eyesight is also a superstition. Seeing a green light doesn't help me see red lights.

Originally purple dye was made from the mucous glands of snails. Because it took thousands of snails to make one gram of dye, purple was a color only nobles could afford and thus became associated with luxury, sophistication and spirituality. Today purple is associated with trendy people, adolescent girls and Barney the dinosaur. Of course, it there were any justice in this world, the creator of Barney, who had originally envisioned him as a cuddly bear, would have made Barney a snail.

And then there's black, which technically isn't a color. It's the presence of all colors. It's the color my sons made when they used all the Crayolas in the box. It's the color I wear for convenience. I don't have to worry about what color is in, about having the right accessories or about mixing and matching. Life is much easier now that I'm in the black.