A Coat of Many Colors

Color is amazing.

Take this afternoon, for instance. I decided to go swing on the hammock, and I needed something to wear over my clothes. Then, I found my dad’s old flannel work jacket. It’s rugged and worn on the outside, but soft and warm on the inside. It’s also red and black plaid, and I didn’t even notice until I stepped outside that my own outfit (a blue sweater and gray and yellow plaid skort) did not match the jacket at all. Since I was in the privacy of my own home, I didn’t bother changing.

When I got on the hammock, I noticed all of the different colors around me. The sky was a brilliant blue, the clouds a wonderful white, the grass a marvelous mixture of dark green and dry brown. The forest green trees separating the neighbors’ property and ours danced in time to the steady beat of the gentle wind.

All of these things made me think about the power of color. Colors can show us all kinds of things. They can show us other people’s moods (I don’t know a single person yet who never owned a mood ring back in the day). Eric Carle, Brian Selznick, and Bill Watterson all enhanced wonderful stories using color illustrations. Millions of dollars have gone into an industry that deals with color three-dimensionally- that is, one that creates garments visually flattering to different skin tones and body types. There are Oscars for Best Costumes and Best Cinematography simply because we care about color.

Why do we care so much about the difference about pink and purple?

The answer is twofold, I think.

First, color represents beauty. The beauty of all living things manifests itself through their colors. We can more easily appreciate the sky, when we see its endless horizon and the deep color it takes (blue, gray, white, dusky pink and orange). We see the evidence of a clean slate, a day full of mystery, which appeals to us. Second, color represents diversity. Looking at trees, clouds, the grass, and sprouting flowers reminded me how exciting it looks when it all comes together. Nature exhibits perfect harmony in every way, which ought to inspire us to look at other people (and ourselves) a little differently.

You don’t have to be an artist to appreciate color. You just have to be willing to see what’s in front of you.

Well, don’t just sit there. The world’s waiting.

A Song for All Seasons

Today, I couldn’t wait to get to church, since I had to sing at the ten o’clock service. Music is such an amazing thing- it takes all of us places we never could have imagined getting to by ourselves. My friend Amy and I got out of our cars, anxious and excited to start rehearsing.

And, suddenly, I noticed the beauty of the day. While Saturday had been cold and rainy, Sunday was warm and sunny. The sun beamed on me, and the clouds produced just enough shade so that the weather was enjoyable, not frigid. No matter what challenges the day would bring, I had a feeling that something was going to be great. It seemed like this whole day had been made just for me.

Then I remembered: it was.

I had been put on this earth for a specific reason: to find my purpose. To help me do that, all of these fantastic things had been put on earth with me: art, architecture, great literature, archaeology, quantum particles, supernovas, hypotenuses, the outdoors, and music, just to name a few. More importantly, I knew so many people who had taken both paths, worn equally and the same, and who could help me find my way.

Seeing the flawless weather, I realized how people in my life that wanted me to succeed. My mom and I can talk about anything, and she has always encouraged me in everything that I choose to do. I have an awesome dad, who makes me smile on a bad day and is also very honest, which has helped me make a lot of the decisions of my life. During the week, my favorite part of my day is my drive home, when I round up my sisters and they tell me about their day. They mean so much to me. I wouldn’t trade them for the world.

I also remembered my great group of friends, all of whom have taught me things too numerous to count. My friend Lindsay makes me laugh more than anyone else. I’ve known my friend Bear (long story) for eight years, and he not only has incredible penmanship, he also makes a flawless pumpkin chocolate chip cookie. Just thinking about it makes me hungry.

Remembering all of this reminded me of all the great things in my life, and how stress about giving a perfect performance was distracting me from that. Music is meant to show us the beauty of the gift itself- which in turn makes us love it more.

After all, seizing the day with joy and excitement- that’s a song for all seasons.

Waiting

I like walking.

My family has always been an active bunch. My sisters are incredible lacrosse players. My dad runs. My mom loves biking.

I like to walk, because it encourages conversation. I like lacrosse, but you can’t just stroll up to one of your opponents (or teammates) and say, “So, what did you think of Portlandia last night?” When you’re walking with other people, you can enjoy the fresh air and the feeling of accomplishing a workout, and the company of friends.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t get anyone to come with me when I went walking today. With unavailability, inescapable piles of homework and disinterest all being excuses, I decided to go by myself. I bundled up in my favorite blue coat and slipped on an old pair of shoes, choosing to ignore the fact that I still had on my Hello Kitty pajamas.

When I went outside, I saw an amazingly clear blue sky. The sun was shining, but it wasn’t too hot or too cold. A puddle in our yard had almost completely frozen, and my favorite tree had shed all of its leaves. The worst part of winter is seeing the trees. In the fall, leaves are changing colors. In the spring, they’re growing. But in the winter, the leaves are gone.

It made me sad to think that a tree’s only source of beauty completely dies in the wintertime. After all, there are so many amazing things about winter: skiing, snowboarding, snowball fights, building fires in the fireplace, the season premiere of Psych…

But I realized something.

Trees don’t die in the winter. They’re waiting for the right time to grow leaves again.

We wait all the time. People wait for food, for amusement park rides, for movies to start, for colleges to send acceptance letters, and more. We don’t like having to wait, but most of the time; the reward is worth the wait.

If trees can wait an entire season until they grow new leaves, then we can wait five minutes for an order of fries.

If we’re honest with ourselves, a large portion of our lives involves waiting for something. If we possibly can, let’s wait patiently.

Of course, if that doesn’t work, we can always try getting our anger out in a healthy way- through a new sport, perhaps.

Stars

What do librettists like Alain Boubil and Jean-Marc Natel; musicians like Dave Matthews and Rihanna, and artists like Alexander McQueen and Vincent Van Gogh have in common?

They were all inspired by the stars.

Stars, to me, have never lost their magic. I don’t know what it is, but something about them, when they shine in all their glory, has the power to bring the most stoic man to his knees.

I don’t always have time to look at them. The only time I feel most “connected” to nature is when the glare of the sun interferes with the TV screen.

Earlier this week, though, the stars reminded me what I had forgotten.

On Thursday, a group of my friends and I sang Valentine’s Day Singing Grams, a way of showing love and appreciation for families, spouses, boyfriends, girlfriends, and everything in between. I had so much fun last year, and I couldn't wait for this time.

After singing our pieces for a married couple, we left the house. I was going to get in the van when suddenly, my friend Taylor stopped me. “Look!” she said.

When I looked, I noticed the stars, shining, but not overpowering the beauty of the sky. They complemented the sky’s swirling indigo hue, twinkling brightly on a cold winter’s night.

I was blown away. Instead of feeling excited about singing and hanging out with my friends, I became excited by the splendor of natural beauty. As I looked at the stars, I felt an overwhelming sense of peace that I hadn't had in a long time. How could I have been too busy for this?

Looking back, I can honestly say those stars are the most beautiful natural wonders I have ever seen. Though I've seen Yosemite, Half Dome, the Grand Canyon, cascading waterfalls, and flawless mountaintops covered in fluffy white powder, the stars are still the best.

Why?

People get busy. We swap relationships with people for relationships with the latest technological innovations. We ignore the things we need, and pay attention instead to the things we think we need.

But no matter where you are, or what kind of life you have, the stars are always there. They are encouraging you, every single night, to stop being busy and look at them. It’s never too late to see things differently.

So, tonight, realize that while our world has plenty of flaws, beauty is all around us. All we have to do is look for it.

Lehman's Letter

People can have varying opinions. Unfortunately, we have abused those opinions in order to make ourselves look better. We have all fallen short of our potential, and we have all failed one another in too many ways to count. Fortunately, we can still do good things, like Chris Lehman has.

Lehman wrote a letter in response to Natalie Munroe’s angry outburst on the Internet. He explained that her comments disconcerted him, which doesn't set him apart from other people who disapproved of Munroe’s actions and updated their Facebook status about it. What sets him apart is the way he phrased the letter.

From the beginning, Lehman sympathizes with her. He insists that teaching can be extremely frustrating. He even cites an experience, where a student writes a negative and rude email to a teacher and the teacher responds even more negatively. By doing all of this, Lehman shows Munroe proper respect, and disarms the knee-jerk defensiveness we all have at times. When he does this, he uses pathos, which indicates an appeal to the reader’s emotions.

Additionally, while Lehman wants Munroe to know that he understands her, he also wants her to realize how he could possibly understand a person like her. As a school principal, Lehman deals with situations like these all the time. He knows that kids can be (and not limited to) rude, snarky, annoying, too loud, too quiet, and unwilling to push themselves to the best of their ability. He has dealt with all these kinds of students and many more. Throughout the letter, he shows her that his letter is worthy of reading, a rhetorical strategy called ethos.

Most importantly, Lehman reminds her of the consequences of her actions. He notes that every student mentioned in her blog has value, and deserves to be treated that way. He shares his concern that she never apologized for her statements, and begs her to reach out to the students. He asks her to apologize and offer any help she can. Her students are hurting, he says, and she needs to notice that. By using a logical, step-by-step plan, he exhibits logos. At the same time, he also demonstrates cautious diction (word choice) and extremely cautious syntax (word order).

I mentioned last week that Munroe’s story ought to show us who we are. We’re selfish and insecure and we only want our own success (as opposed to the success of other people). However, with Lehman, I would like to suggest the opposite. Lehman’s letter ought to show us who we can be. You and I can overcome our shortcomings. We can love the people society finds too hard to love. We can lift up the people society deems too heavy.

No one is too heavy.

So here’s my question for you:

How we can use Munroe’s story and Lehman’s letter to love one another?

Visual Arguments

Visuals make excellent arguments- especially in this case. With a picture like this, which condemns abortion, viewers only see the beautiful baby girl. This girl represents a fresh start- a clean slate, which is emotionally appealing. Then, we see her smiling face, showing us a carefree side that we used to have as children. Her overwhelming cuteness is enough to show us how to deal with abortion, persuading women not only to keep their babies, but by keeping them, they will give them a chance at a great life.

Media and Angry Outbursts

Since the beginning of our country’s independence, freedom of speech has proven essential to the growth and stability of our nation (with things like the Alien and Sedition Acts receiving particularly negative attention). Recently, however, an issue of freedom of speech has become a nationwide debate, leaving many people wondering, “How far is too far?”

The issue concerns Natalie Munroe, an honors English teacher at a public high school in Pennsylvania. Using her blog, she wrote nasty things about her students, like calling them “utterly loathsome” and “dim.” When asked about her choice of words, she claimed that “the truth hurts” and refused to apologize for what she’d said. She also insisted that since she had not used her own name (she called herself “Natalie M” on her blog) she had not done anything wrong.

When I first read this story online, I was surprised to see the amount of comments other readers posted. Some supported Munroe, others blasted her. It then occurred to me that this writer put this story on the Internet to encourage other people to weigh in on it. After seeing this, I wondered if the media encourages angry outbursts like this.

It can’t be a huge surprise, right? The American people love a comeback kid, but we love it even more if we can tear him down. We like to feel that even if we aren’t too bright, we’re still smarter than the couple who got divorced after 132 days. We have more self-control than the guy who punches the paparazzi. We have more common sense than the beauty pageant girl.

But do we? If our only thrill is finding the faults in others and exploiting them, maybe we need to figure out the qualities we have that make us individually special. We don’t need to compare ourselves to the people in the tabloids by the checkout counter in the grocery store. Everyone has insecurities. Maybe it isn’t your temper, but you have lust. Maybe you’re happy in your marriage, but lying is a problem for you. If we are willing to stop seeing other people and ourselves as only their imperfections, then we’re getting somewhere.

Munroe’s story should remind us the people that we are. We want a big controversial story, so we can slam this person to the ground. Maybe I’m wrong, but I think we can be better than that.

Do you?