What's your favorite color? This is a question I've been asked since I was taught what colors were. I used to say pink, then I went through a blue phase and right now, I'm dead set on yellow.
I pick and choose whichever one I like that week, when in reality some people don't get to pick at all. I should be honored to be able to see so many colors that I actually get to pick a favorite. That's like having 10 designer vehicles and choosing which one I want to drive today.
How could one be so lucky?
The other day, a woman I interviewed for a reporting story said to me:
"I'm so fascinated with the beach and the sky and the moon. Especially the moon. I didn't get to see it for so long."
This woman was incarcerated for nearly 20 years. Of course, she missed her freedom, her family, her bed and the 20 years that she will never get back. However, the first comment was referenced how much she missed things like the sky.
The sky? I would have never thought of the sky as something I would miss.
But then I imagined.
I imagined waking up one morning and realizing someone had put a black and white filter on my life.
Ripping every hue out of my mind and out of my memory. Color is not something you can reminisce on. When it's gone its gone.
How do you even explain color? You can't.
You can't explain Green to visually impaired. You can tell them that trees are green. Money is Green, Starbucks straws are green, but you can't verbally explain green.
It's not a solid definition. It's a feeling.
You know the feeling of waking up and hearing the annoying neighbor's dog barking at the mailman?
You're bothered by that small little rat dog that has the highest pitched bark you've ever heard. It's 7:30 in the morning and you are livid. Doesn't he know its Saturday?
We've all been there. Maybe that rat dog is your alarm clock or your roommate making a smoothie. But there's always someone, somewhere putting a damper on your day if you let them.
The moment you realize that life is beautiful will be the moment you appreciate everything around you.
Wake up and look outside. There's a big a beautiful sky out there. It tells a story. It creates a memory of the day, but one you'll never be able to explain. You can tell someone about the screeching bark, and the cold weather. But you can't explain what you saw, not colorfully.
Color is something we take for granted. We don't appreciate it because we've never had a life without it.
So, the next time you're annoyed by the little things, take a second to step back and take a look at the world around you. Take in the colors. Look at the sky, the beach, the mountains and even the color of your skin. Because if you're visually and behaviorally able, remember how lucky you are.
