30 Comments
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Sarah Farley's avatar

Wonderful words. To me, blue represents escape and it’s a colour I’m drawn to more and more. Have you read Maggie Nelson’s Bluets?

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Laura Pashby's avatar

I haven’t, although I loved The Argonauts. Blurts is definitely on my list!

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Susanna Namuli's avatar

Such a vivid world this essay describes. Vivid also for how long the blues have been forming through generations.

I picture all this in the way that you have written it and wonder about something, Laura.

Have you written this before, or a version of it? Because it is something that's been around you for much of your life.

Has it only occurred to you recently, how tangled up you are in blue?

Or perhaps the words for it all only came together recently with the other connections; the sea, the poetry, the bluebells, and so on.

It's beautiful. Thank you for sharing.

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Sakari's avatar

Blue is my favorite color!

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Laura Pashby's avatar

💙

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Bonnie Orbison's avatar

been trying to make time in my day to catch up on my substacks and just reading this one made me realise how much i missed reading your words🩵 thank you, Laura, for your words!

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Laura Pashby's avatar

Oh that’s so lovely to hear, thank you Bonnie! And thank you for sharing, too. 🩵

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Kerani Arpaia's avatar

As the mama to a blue-eyed baby boy, this made my heart swell. Beautiful as always Laura 💙

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Laura Pashby's avatar

Thank you so much, Kerani 💙

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Tiffany Chu's avatar

Whimsical and beautiful reflection on my favourite colour.

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Laura Pashby's avatar

Thank you so much, Tiffany. 💙

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Sarah Howard Lapine's avatar

Love this contemplation on color. Blue holds such depth, I think. It feels like the color of truth to me.

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Laura Pashby's avatar

Yes, I can see that. So pure. 🩵

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Bonnie Radcliffe's avatar

This is so beautiful. It makes me collate all the blue in my life! It is by far my favorite colour - when I paint it is exclusively in blue - and I think part of this is because I too am a cold swimmer and have always felt connected to water. Your post describes these interwoven connections beautifully.

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Laura Pashby's avatar

Ahh, I love that we share some of these connections 🌊🩵

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Stacey Couch's avatar

Lovely contemplation on blue. My favorite color of blue is that which the mountain bluebirds bring each spring. A joy to dash away winter blues 💙

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Laura Pashby's avatar

Oh how gorgeous! I would love to see one 🩵

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Mackenzie's avatar

So descriptive and beautiful Laura 💙

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Laura Pashby's avatar

Thank you so much, Mackenzie.

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Laura Pashby's avatar

Thank you!

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Jude's avatar

A gentle and touching read, thank you. My sons have my blue eyes, my husband’s are a beautiful chestnut brown. I am irrationally proud to have passed on blue.

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Laura Pashby's avatar

I love that, Jude! 🩵

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Sally Broadhurst's avatar

So beautiful and touching… all the significant men in my life have blue eyes too! 🩵

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Laura Pashby's avatar

Oh I love that, Sally! 🩵

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Gillian's avatar

A lovely slice of bygone Spring sunshine, to lighten another soggy UK day

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Laura Pashby's avatar

Sunshine...remember that?! Soon, I hope.

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Gillian's avatar

Somewhere over the rainbow 🌈

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Jenny Ghost's avatar

This is so beautiful!

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Laura Pashby's avatar

Thank you, Jenny 💙

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