I always thought snow was white. But then a friend who has been to Antarctica told me that the snow there is mostly blue and pink, just like candyfloss, with blue sky on the horizon and above it pink. That must be beautiful, I thought.
The colour of the snow started me thinking about the lens through which I view life. A while ago there was no noticeable colour, everything was almost transparent, like nothing. Strange that I also didn’t feel anything, except when there was a touch of grey. Then I was heartsore about everything that was difficult and my body was weary. Slow. Sometimes life looked blue, a melancholy blue, and the snow was colourless.
Until I decided to buy pink glasses. On sale for just R20! They had a rosepink frame and soft-pink lenses and sat lightly on my nose. When I looked through them, everything was rosecoloured and I could feel love and care and tolerance. I could see plans that would work and new ideas and I felt happiness and hope once again. Even the snow on the peaks looked pink and the sky blue and purple and orange against it.
Wearing my pink glasses I can see the colour of the life lenses of the people around me. The waiter from up in Africa wears light-green glasses. He says his name is Talent and he has the talent to take care of us. He refills our empty glasses with water and shakes out our white napkins. He cares and his body says he is patient. I see the yellow glasses of the friend who carries sunshine inside her. She is always laughing and sings along with life’s song, even though she is sometimes tired and heartsore. I see the peaceful blue of my husband’s glasses, a man who is never rushed and always thinks things through. He keeps a healthy balance between sitting still and being active. And I see the transparent grey lenses of those around me who need a new start, but are too afraid to choose it.
And there are also those who wear pink glasses. Like the woman at the flower market who bought a protea for me because I didn’t have enough cash in my purse. And the man with the wide smile at the supermarket who is sure I will give him R10 so he can buy bread, and the packer at the vegetable shop who started work early this morning and who wants to know how my day is going.
I came to the conclusion that the colour of life depends on the colour of the glasses that we put on and I am grateful that I now have rosetinted glasses through which to look. Because through the pink I can see that grey and white and yellow and blue and green and even black all have a touch of pink in them. And that snow really does have colour. The colour that I want to see.
About you:
What colour are your life lenses?