Color Full

Everywhere I look this week my eyes feel

All of the fall colors are popping and it’s glorious to simply wander around gazing at all of the color.

I often wonder what the world would look like if I was color blind. I think about this because recently I edited some photos for my son-in-law, who is color blind. The photos featured a lot of blue and yellow. He mentioned that he loved how colorful they were because of the predominant blue and yellow, colors that he could perceive well. And I realized how different the world must look to him.

I often don’t think about the internal perceptions of others and how different they may be from my perceptions. But we know that we all perceive the world differently. Along with color blindness, there are genes associated with whether we like the taste of cilantro or not. And our sense of smell varies, also related to genetic differences.

I would love to know what the world smells like to dogs and cats. Their sense of smell is so much better than ours. And for a little while I’d love to see the world as someone who is color blind sees it, just to understand better what it is like.

This morning I looked up an article on how the colorblind see the world. And reading that article sparked questions that I plan to ask my son-in-law next time we talk. All of this leads me to advice that I think all of us need to hear once in a while…

Be Curious and Compassionate

about the world and about the internal worlds of those around you. We do not know what others are facing in their lives by simply looking at their surface. Although we share many commonalities, we also perceive through our own unique lens based upon genetics and experience.

Please be kind to yourself and others as you navigate the world this week.

May you walk in beauty.

Note: Photos today from a short walk at Wolsfeld Woods yesterday afternoon.