Alone, Red, in a Field of Yellow (A #Reverb11 Prompt)

When I first read this month's "Reverb" prompt (at http://www.reverb10.com/), I knew immediately what I wanted to discuss in my response to "What's Blossoming?" but I struggled most of the month with how to portray my idea. That struggle was born out of the fact that I am not sure that the quality I want to see in my children is blossoming yet. It was turning into more of a "gee, I sure hope this will blossom eventually" blog.

The good thing about Reverb10/Reverb11 prompts is this part of the instructions:

This prompt is yours to use as you like: answer it as-is on your blog, create a vision board, share your response in conversation with a loved one, make a short film. Get creative. Change the prompt as you like. Enjoy.

The "Reverb" community is, as you can see, pretty flexible so I am talking about .....

How children, tulip bulbs, start out completely self-contained. No one can see what they are going to look like, act like, think like, or be before they are exposed to the conditions that will nurture them into growth.

Once they do start coming into their own, they may often find themselves in a field of others just like them:

(Photo Credit: Sara L. Chapman)

Other times, someone who doesn't "match" will appear in their midst:

(Photo Credit: Sara L. Chapman)

When my child finds himself or herself part of a group surrounding someone who does not look the same, will they see first that the newcomer shares almost everything they do - the same parts - even though they are different colors? Will they welcome the newcomer to the field? Will they say to their friends, "give them a chance, they just got here" when human nature takes over and peers imply that because the newcomer looks different they are going to have to pass some test to fit in?

On the other hand, how will my child behave when he or she IS the only person who looks "different" in a sea of some other sameness? Did Wayne and I as parents "tend" them well enough back before they blossomed? As they find their way in the world, will they make the effort to learn the language of places they visit, choose local cuisine over a franchise they could have patronized in the US, open their spirits to the new, the different, the foreign (the scary)?

Merry Brown said:

Preconceived notions are the locks on the door to wisdom.

As a parent, I pray every single day that my children's world gives them opportunities to appreciate the "red tulips" in their "fields" or to be the "red tulip" in someone else's "field of yellow." And in whichever field they find themselves, that any preconceived notions don't impede them.

Because it is then that wisdom will blossom.

Note: Deep gratitude to Sara Chapman of Love That Image for the use of her photo. (I made a digital modification to her photo for the "all yellow" photo in which I eliminated the red tulips for the purpose of this blog.)