The Sound of Colors
By: Christine Hersom
(4 mins)
Do you hear in color? Or better yet, what does orange sound like? I know, I know. You are probably wondering if this is a typo. It’s not.
I am presently in my late fifties. Like most children my age, I spent my childhood outside running and playing. I was also into horseback riding (sometimes getting thrown from horses). If it was possible to abuse my muscles and bones…I tried it. Now I get to pay the price. Some mornings getting off the bed sounds like a musical chorus of cracking branches. It’s crazy how you wake up one day after turning fifty and it seems like the engine light for your body is always on. Now I understand my grandmother even more.
I must have complained too much one day. A friend of mine brought me a “gummy” to try. She claimed that all my aches and pains would disappear. Now some of you may not approve of the actions I took, but I am not looking for approval. I was suffering from chronic exhaustion, aches, and pains, and I was as out of shape as I had ever been in my life. I seemed to be stuck in a depressive mood forever.
Now I do not have a problem with people using marijuana or CBD or whatever. However, I have not been a user of it. I tried it as a teenager, and it made me vomit. I tried it again as a young adult with the same reaction. The desire to vomit is not strong in me so I never tried it again.
I tried to explain to my friend that I am not against the use of THC products. But, it has never been a positive experience for me. She insisted that the gummy would change my life. It would relax me and allow me to rest. Okay, she didn’t have to twist my arm. Relaxation sounded great.
One afternoon while sitting at the picnic table, I popped the gummy in my mouth and chewed away. For the first twenty minutes, nothing happened. I was sitting there talking and waiting for the “big relax” to arrive. Now, remember, I was not a user of THC products. I had no tolerance built up.
After about twenty minutes, the “big relax” hit. I kid you not I melted down under the picnic table in a pile. My arms and legs curled into a pile like cooked spaghetti. I couldn’t function. It was like being boneless. My husband was laughing so hard at me that he couldn’t help me for a bit. One minute I am sitting at the table talking and the next minute I am on the ground under the table in a boneless heap.
He finally got me out from under the table and into the camper. He laid me on the couch and left. For the next ninety minutes, I was in a world of beautiful swirling colors. Did you know sounds have colors? Did you know feelings have colors? I did not know this until the consumption of the “gummy.”
The breeze was a beautiful light blue with small waves of green. The birds singing were a plethora of orange, yellow, and red. I was so relaxed. The music playing on the radio was a cacophony of blues, greens, blacks, reds, and pastels. The feeling was so intense that I felt like I could touch the colors of the sounds. The campfires burning and the lunches cooking were greens and browns. It was the strangest yet most beautiful experience of my life. In all honesty, though I am not sure the aches and pains went away. I think I was so focused on the colors that I didn’t think about aches and pains.
Now after I came down off that “high,” the feelings and sensations stayed with me. I couldn’t believe how monochromatic my life had been to that point. Always do the right thing (if possible). Do not wear white after Labor Day. Always dress in blue, black or gray when going to work. I realized I was boring.
I haven’t tried the “gummies” since then. While it was harmless, I don’t have another 90 minutes to give up for another zone session. My friend couldn’t believe my experience. She had forgotten that my use of this product was zero. Instead of having me take a whole gummy, she should have total me to only use one-fourth. We laugh about this now. I am glad she made the mistake in dosage because the miscalculation reopened my life to the colors around me. I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.
The world is full of colors. Sounds do have colors. The colors are probably different for each person. Things that make me happy tend to be bright in color. Those same shades may cause another person distress whereas their happy colors might be gray or black. There is no right or wrong here. When I try to explain the “colors I heard,” everyone laughs at me. It is comical that I got “high” and heard colors, but it did improve my mood and outlook on life.
My takeaway from this experience is to open our eyes and ears to the world around us. There are so many beautiful sounds and fragrances. I don’t have to use drugs to hear the colors. I just lay down, breathe, relax, and “listen.” Try it and see what colors you hear!
Christine Marshall Hersom
All Things Wellness, LLC
christinehersom@yahoo.com
The information provided is the opinion of the author and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. diagnoses, or treatment. The author and the business, All Things Wellness, LLC, and its owner Peggy Willms, are not liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this website. We assume no responsibility for tangible and intangible damages such as physical harm caused by using a product, loss of profits or loss of data, and defamatory comments.
