Soft colors would be his favorite

In the scheme of things, namely trying to keep some measure of sanity, the decision to go for a nature hike out in the middle of fall might not have been too hot an idea. Still, Jim mused, it could have been worse. The hectic nature of the system crash at the office aside, the idea that a doctor could take off the last two days of the week to go on a nature hike must have been a novel thing to some people. A perk of being one's own boss was that he got to decide when to take a vacation, paid off that is, and the rest of the office staff had all jumped at that. Besides, not much could be done without a functioning computer system, yes?

He adjusted the backpack carefully, making sure not to repeat the issue of having his hair get caught in one of the zippers, before remembering what one of the girls from the office said and adjusted it into a ponytail, held together with a pink hairclip he had kept in the car (not for that particular emergency, mind you, but one could never be too safe!) By the time he had reached the part of the trail where he had enough room to set up his tent for the night, the air had gotten more than a bit crisp and he could see his breath. None of the other family members loved to camp, a benefit of living in a cozy house in the suburbs, so Jim often had free reign at the choice of camping equipment (read: a bit more expensive than it should be).

A few minutes to set up camp, followed by starting a fire to get a pot of water going and then set out a skillet for cooking some food, Jim settled down on the small camp chair and prepped a quick fireside dinner. While sipping on the cup of campfire coffee, he pulled the questionnaire out of the bag and looked at it.

4.) IF YOU WERE A GIRL...WHAT WOULD BE YOUR FAVORITE COLOR?

Jim thought back to the prior color question on the questionnaire and looked over at his attire, then at the sleeping equipment, followed by the tent he was sleeping in. Color was always something he chose to explore as sense of expression, something akin to a small (if not noticeable) act of rebellion despite his mother's gray-gray-gray fixation. Color was vibrant, warm, and enveloping. He smiled a little as he remembered playing around with warm blankets and building a sheet fort in the yard-space between the houses, especially with Ms. Halloway managing to convince his mother to permit them to spend some time out to look at the stars. Perhaps that's where he got the love of the outdoors and camping?

Still, as he twirled the pink pen in his hand, he knew that the exercise was asking to imagine what he would like to have in terms of a favorite color. He did like pink, that was sure, but that wasn't the only color he liked. He favored many, almost too many to count, but instead of going for the harsh solid, dark colors, he gravitated towards the softer, almost lighter shades. I'd like a variety of colors, though lighter and softer in appearance. Jim didn't notice how the forest green sleeping bag inside the tent had softened to a beige green tone while the tent, shrouded in darkness outside of his campfire, was a warm honey yellow instead of the dull maroon it had been just moments earlier. With the last bits of coffee ended, Jim dosed the campfire and climbed into his tent for the night.

****

After taking a good morning stretch and placing his things back into his backpack, Jim took a slower pace down the mountain, pausing to look over some of the scenery passing him by as he turned down the trail and made his way towards the parking lot. For a moment, a brief moment, he wondered where his car was but when he pulled out his keys, the sound of doors unlocking to the ivory Rav-4 brought him back and he just shook his head, muttering about early morning haze in his head, before putting his bags in the trunk and pulling out of the parking lot.

5.) IF YOU WERE A GIRL...WHAT COLOR WOULD YOUR HAIR BE?