The Color of Rose
"...Where we see the negative, we call forth more negative. And where we see the positive, we call forth more positive..."-----Marianne Williamson
Too often in my life I have been accused of viewing the world through rose-colored glasses, simply because I choose to believe in the basic goodness of mankind. Because I choose to see the beauty in the world that surrounds me. Because I value hope.
I would hardly classify myself as "the eternal optimist," and those who know me well will certainly attest to that! I simply make a concious choice to look beyond the banality and the madness and the inhumanities that tend to pervade our various theaters of media. I do not ignore or turn a blind eye to it, for much of it makes great story fodder which I try to make good use of in my works. Instead, I choose not to dwell upon all the ugliness that gets blasted out of proportion because so much of mankind is enthralled by "The Terrible," while the simple goodness of the world remains like a quiet ghost within the shadows. But the good still far outweighs the bad. It just goes unregaled because it's often delivered in small, yet consistent doses. The person in the supermarket line with a full basket who lets the one behind with only a handful of items go first. The finder of the lost wallet who returns it to its owner fully intact. The person who conscientiously picks up the trash thoughtlessly tossed aside by another and gives it a proper disposal. The one who lends a sympathetic ear to allow another a chance to lighten their load a little. The recycler. The devoted teacher. The caring nurse. The firefighter. The countless volunteers who donate their time to thousands of charitable causes. There are far, far more examples than I have time to chronicle!
The world is filled with small acts of kindness by silent angels who go about their seemingly uninteresting lives with no thought or expectatiion of fame, glory, or even a "thank you." To them it is just "life." Yet these unsung heroes are the color of rose and perhaps those who accuse me of viewing the world in that color should remove their own black-colored lenses once in a while to see that true goodness and beauty really do exist in our world. It hides in plain sight all around us every day.
Every time I feel the warmth given by another's smile, or hear a child's laughter, or witness that "random act of kindness," no matter how small it may be, I am reminded of why I view the world in rose. And I make no apologies for that.
Photo: Afternoon rainbow as viewed from my back yard, July 2013.
