Purple Houses

Perhaps you have lived in the same town all your life. If you are like me, you have moved dozens of times. Oddly enough, in all those moves, I am only about 100 miles from where I started. After finding the book "The Only Purple House in Town," by Ann Aguirre, I suddenly remembered all the purple houses I encountered along the way.

Several were Victorian, one moved precariously whole in the middle of the night, and set down on new property, to be ogled with awe by neighbors the next morning. Discussions about what color the owner might paint the terribly bright but peeling purple outside walls ended with the owners putting a fresh coat of lavish purple on its repaired wood siding, with the lacy gingerbread on the eaves a bright clean white.

Another purple house was ultra modern, standing amongst older more sedate homes. Several mid-century houses used varying shades of lavender to accent the highlights of their architecture. The one house I remember most was found in the middle of a large tract of homes built in the 1950s. Each structure was the same as the next, all in rows down long streets. Only the landscaping differentiated one from another, until you came to the one purple house. Back then they did not have HOAs with rules and people had the right to choose.

Which made me wonder what kind of people lived inside, choosing bright purple on the outside? So I started reading "The Only Purple House in Town" with that curiosity in mind, wanting to know what inspired a person or family to paint their house purple. What I found in this story is that the house had been painted by the first owner, a great aunt of the main character. Inheriting the house was a surprise to Iris, a needed one, as the news came at a time where she was almost homeless and penniless, too.

What I had not expected was a story, not unlike Harry Potter, where the reader finds a magical world surrounded by muggles (non magical folk). The twist with this story is that the reader is placed in a regular world where the magical folk have become accepted, like the time in history where diversity of color and nationality was melted into American society. The norms of the 18th and 19th centuries were uprooted in a 20th century march toward civil liberty and freedoms of all people. This was an interesting twist in the story of a purple house, where a variety of different people mingle freely.

What I found inside this house was a cleaned but barely fixed up home, welcoming a group of familyless people building a modern 21st century family of their own. Iris is a young woman striving to build an online jewelry business, supplementing her income with renters in her big purple house. Eli secretly has a past with Iris that she does not remember. He is a shapeshifter who flies in the night as a hawk and by day invents tech apps. Henry Dale is a cranky old man who has outlived both his family and friends, skilled in repairing things. Sally is a cheery divorced senior trying to enjoy some freedom after a life focused on others. Mira is a self defined Tech Witch who can repair things magically, even when deemed irreparable. Rowan is a young person running from a religious family who desires to fit him into their box and mindset when all he wants is artistic freedom to create wonder and beauty.

Each character is in the middle of making new space within themselves to grow. This is what I found in this purple house. I am sure each purple house is unique unto itself and has a variety of aspects particular to the needs of the people within.

There has been a lot of talk about self care for the year 2025. A very wise person once taught that "self care in a kind way" is a gift to self as well as a gift to the people around them. When a person concentrates on self care, they are best prepared to help others. And if we are in a good spot when this year pours its adventures upon us, we will be better able to handle whatever comes. The unexpected will be faced, embraced, endured and conquered, just like the actions of explorers in history, where they set out to conquer the world and actually face themselves in the process. Society has a chance to forge forward, nurturing kindness and embracing diversity. For we all come different into this world. Celebrating differences is to bestow great honor to the creator. Let us purposefully celebrate in 2025.

Happy New Year!

Good Books.

Good reading.

*Midge Lyn'dee is a fictional character used for the purpose of entertainment though the reviews are real and sincere.