As we approach Valentine’s Day, red hearts seem to be everywhere. The heart pumps blood to the rest of the body but it is also thought of as where one feels love, making the red heart a perfect Valentine symbol. Along with love and passion, the color red evokes other feelings and communicates ideas such as stop, danger, urgency and fire. It can also symbolize anger, energy, power or confidence. In Chinese culture, the color red implies good fortune, happiness and prosperity. In India it represents purity, fertility and prosperity. Red can also signify strength, loudness, authority, and revolution. Clearly, the color red has always had an impact on people!
Color can be powerful and can affect how you feel and present yourself to others. Red is a warm color, often associated with survival and signifying strength and resilience. Wearing red may inspire one to take action and aid in success. Some of the most powerful and famous women and men have intentionally worn red to send a message of confidence to others in public. While calmer colors like green and blue are serene and soothing — red is hot, intense and emotional. Sports teams that wear red subconsciously emit more confidence which can impact the opposing team (except when NC State is playing the Tar Heels). The power tie? Red. Plus, let’s not forget to roll out the red carpet or cut through the red tape.
How many different names are there for red? Well a lot. Cherry, Crimson, Ruby, Scarlet, Wine, Brick, Apple, Garnet, Blood, Berry, Candy Apple, Burgundy and Ferrari just to name a few. Crayola crayons box of 120 include 23 REDS, 20 greens, 19 blues, 16 purples, 14 oranges, 11 browns, 8 yellows, 2 grays, 2 coppers, 2 blacks, 1 white, 1 gold and 1 silver. Without a doubt, red is a dominant color that carries a great deal of meaning.
The heart shape, known world wide, is a symbol of love and affection but it really doesn’t resemble the human heart at all. The origin is hard to track down but there are many references to an ancient plant known as the silphium or giant fennel grown on the North African coastline. The plant was used for medicinal purposes, a flavoring spice and birth control. Other references include parts of the human anatomy. I’ll let you use your imagination.
From the bottom of my heart. My heart goes out to you. Let’s have a heart to heart. With a heavy heart. Change of heart. Follow your heart. Steal her/his heart. Broken heart. Sweetheart. Wear your heart on your sleeve. To take heart. To have one’s heart in the right place. Bless your heart. Emoji heart. And my favorite, a hearty breakfast. Yes, food and love share the same space in my heart.
Fun Facts about the Heart
- The heart is about the size of an adult fist
- The heart will beat about 115,000 times a day and pumps about 2000 gallons of blood
- There are about 60,000 miles of blood vessels in your body, enough to go around the world twice
- A woman’s heart beats faster than a man’s heart
- Every cell in the human body gets blood from the heart except the cornea
- It is possible to have a broken heart and can mimic a heart attack, but one rarely dies from a broken heart
- Most heart attacks happen on a Monday and on Christmas Day
- Heart disease is the number 1 cause of death in the US
- A healthy heart depends on exercise – aerobic, resistance training, and stretching-flexibility-balance
- Laughing is good for your heart – it reduces stress and gives a boost to your immune system
Smile more, love more, laugh more and don’t forget to take care of your 
!
Penny and her family moved to Chapel Hill in 1998. She soon joined the Town of Chapel Hill’s Telecommunications and Technology advisory board and was appointed by the town to the OWASA board of directors where she served 6 years and held the Vice Chair position. In 2009 she ran and was elected to the town council in Chapel Hill, and in 2012 ran and was elected to the BOCC where she served 8 years, the last two as chair of the board. Penny owns and operates a personal chef and catering company and has been published in Cary Magazine, Gourmet Magazine, INDY Week, Southern Neighbor and News14. She lives in Carrboro with her mom Jersey Jacky. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram
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