Think darkness, the darkness that fills your soul. Think about a phone call bearing news you do not want to hear. Think of a world without love and friendship. Is that black?

Black is the mixture of all colors, the silencing of sunshiny yellows, earthly browns, foresty greens, and fiery oranges.

Black, in truth, is the absence of light and color. It is the numbness that settles on your fingertips.

Black is the feeling of nothingness, of loneliness and death. It is feeling helpless while watching your house burn to ashes. It is the midnight sobbing of a neighbor who seemed happy. It is the feeling of running away but going nowhere.

But black is so much more than just the end of the color scale, more than the polar opposite of white, more than darkness.

Solace can be found in the black of night. Comfort may be hidden deep under covers and quilts. Peace is the arms of a mother, gently rocking her baby to sleep. Serenity is quiet, like the stillness of a black night.

Black can consume you, surround you, and silence you. But, that’s not always a bad thing.