Neon Blue

Greetings Everyone,

It’s been a while, and a lot has changed, not only for me, but for the world as well. In fact, when I told people that I was calling this blog Neon Blue, the overall impression was that I was most likely writing about the election. Now, as vocal as I have been of my disdain for our current Racist-in-Chief and as ecstatic as I am for President-elect Joe Biden, I WILL NOT be talking about it here. If you follow me on Facebook, I’ve said all I needed to say, and then some. And in the name of full disclosure, I actually started this blog back in September.

I should probably also confess that naming this blog Neon Blue is a little tongue in cheek because I despise the color blue. Growing up, I was told that boys only liked the color blue and anything else was “Gay.” Did you know that liking a specific color determined your sexual orientation? Anyway, I guess that always stuck with me, and being that my favorite color has always been red, my hatred of blue began. In fact, the only blue I can tolerate in my life are jeans, and that is because they are a wardrobe staple that goes with just about everything. But I digress…

Now, I’m sure with a build up like that, you are probably wondering where I got the title Neon Blue from. Well…

I’m hoping by now that I don’t need to tell you about my love of pop culture, and more specifically, pop music. And if you really pay attention to the titles of any of my blogs, you will recognize that they are all named after songs. Neon Blue is no exception, although I’m pretty sure the majority of you never heard of it.

See, there’s this amazing pop group out of England called Steps. They formed back in the 90’s and were known for having a very ABBA-esque sound. After three hit albums, a greatest hits compilation and at the height of their popularity, the group broke up in a very public feud. Years later, a TV station brought them back together to hash out their differences, and since then, have reunited and dropped two albums (their latest, What the Future Holds, just came out over Thanksgiving weekend).

Anyway, Neon Blue is a song of theirs that was released after the group reunited. It’s one of those feel-good type of songs that starts off slow and then builds into an amazing dance track. Lyrically, it’s about a friend who is down and encouraged to come out and dance. Over the years, Neon Blue has garnered many positive reviews and accolades, and some even see the song as a Gay anthem due to the coming out aspect of it, and more specifically, the lyrics “come as you are, cause you’re great, and you don’t have to change a thing.”

I can say with absolute certainty that Neon Blue is my favorite Steps song, but at first I didn’t fully get it. Originally, I thought that the title referred to the name of the club they were going to. But for some reason, that explanation seemed very surface, and the more I listened and thought about it, I came to realize that Neon Blue was actually something more abstract, and very time appropriate.

Let me explain…

We sometimes use colors to represent different feelings or emotions. For example, when someone is experiencing jealousy, we call them “green with envy.” Or when we refer to someone as a “yellow bellied” coward. And I’m sure you all know to avoid a person “seeing red.” Well, there’s also this concept of “being blue.” You’ve heard of the expression, right? If you haven’t, it refers to the feeling of being depressed or sad. I’m sure every single one of us have felt “blue” at some point in our lives.

Lord knows I have “been blue” a lot lately, and when I find myself feeling that way, I try to take stock of the positives in life. I look at my husband, and although we have a far from perfect marriage, I have somebody by my side who I believe loves and supports me, and I couldn’t really ask for much more. I have two amazingly annoying, yet lovable, dogs who put a smile on my face just about every single day. And when I start to think about my “family” and their very open Homophobic (amongst other forms of hate) views, I remember that I have such a close circle of friends, some of whom I have known for more than thirty years. They love me, flaws and all, and I never have to question it, or whether I am welcome in their lives.

When I start to get down, I stop myself and remember that, especially in these times of COVID, I am extremely fortunate to be in the position I am in. I have a job, and regardless of a short-lived cut in salary or how others there have been treating me, I am somewhat secure in it. As noisy at it is, there’s a roof over my head, and I am lucky enough to be able to pay my rent and not worry about being evicted. There’s food on my table and I don’t know from hunger. My health sucks, but I have insurance and an amazing medical team taking care of me. And even when I want to get down about getting older, I have to remember that not everybody gets to reach my age.

You know, even with this blog, it’s a matter of turning a negative into a positive. As I mentioned earlier, I started this back in September, and because of my bouts with brain fog, it has taken a while to write something cohesive. But within that time, Thanksgiving passed, which is a time where people reflect and be thankful for what they actually have. And even today, we Jews observe Hanukkah by lighting the Menorah and celebrating the bringing of light where there has been darkness. So, although it has taken me so long to put this blog together, in taking my time, I was able to use these particular holidays as inspiration to help get my thoughts together.

In the end, it helps, for me at least, to take stock and focus on what really matters in life to put things in perspective. And as hard as it can be sometimes, really focusing on the positive helps to “brighten my blues.”

Remember a few paragraphs back when I mentioned how we sometimes use colors to represent different emotions or feelings, and that “being blue” refers to being depressed or sad? Well, I was trying to think of a color equivalent to “brightening up the blues,” and as a child of the 80’s, nothing was brighter than anything neon. I mean you just couldn’t be upset around anything that cool and fun, and even now, as I think back to that era, I smile. So why not “brighten the blues” by making them neon?

And so, we’ve come full circle, and I am back at the idea of Neon Blue. Sure, it’s just a silly pop song by a reunited group from England, but I think the reason it resonated so well was because it’s all about “brightening your blues,” and in a day and age where there is so much negativity in the world, we can all use a little Neon Blue in our lives. So, whether it’s through family, friends, reflection, dancing or even a silly pop song, find the thing that helps put a smile on your face and “don’t you ever let it go.”

With that said, I wanted to take this opportunity to wish everybody out there the happiest of holiday seasons, regardless of what you celebrate, and an amazing New Year, filled with nothing but good. Stay healthy and safe, and please continue to wear your masks.

 Here’s to 2021 and What the Future Holds!!!