Momma always gets excited about colors. I think she sees the world in colors. Always talking about the amazing flower colors, the moss colors, the sky colors, the sunset colors, the leaf colors. She loves colors. She works with colors in her pictures. She works with colors when we paint. Colors and light. Colors and light.

But I don’t see the same colors she sees, or that you see.   This isn’t about a day in color-learning class that I missed…thank you very much. This isn’t about me not paying attention to colors. I try, I really do.

But so many days of my life, when Momma points out the painted sky to us, or the colors on our hikes, she asks us, “Do you see that amazing purple? Do you see that bright green?”   I smile. I say yes sometimes…mostly because she looks so happy. I WANT to see it. But I don’t. I guess I can’t.

I see colors. I just don’t see the same colors, or ALL the colors.   I don’t know why. But a doctor told us I have problems with this.   He called it something…I can’t remember.   I was confused that day when he was testing me. He was asking me about colors and shapes. It all was so hard. MOST of the reason was because I couldn’t see the shapes he was asking.   Turns out I need glasses! More on that later.

Later Momma and Daddy tried to explain it to me. They said my eyes and my brain don’t talk to each other very well sometimes about colors.   They said there are little machines in my eye (super awesome!!!) that see reds, blues and greens. But some of my machines work differently than other people’s machines. I guess that’s okay. I’m learning different is okay, even cool.

So I can’t tell the difference between some colors, and I get some colors mixed up. Lucky for me, I can memorize really super good. So I am just learning what colors are SUPPOSED to be. But I get greens, browns, and reds mixed up mostly. If there is a pile of green leaves, and one brown one in the middle, I can’t see the brown one.

Now it makes sense that when Momma flips her lid with all that happy for tree leaves turning colors, I can’t see…don’t see…the same things. Sometimes, the leaves and trees just look grey to me.  Now Momma and Daddy are more patient with me since we know about my eye machines getting confused.

Momma said the artichoke is a pretty purple. I DON’T see purple.

Now it makes sense that when big peoples ask me what I see, I don’t say a color first. I see its shape, or even guess what it feels like before the color.   I guess that is why I like the textures Momma shows us so often.

 Next time you look at something, remember, we don’t all see the same thing…or see in the same colors. Maybe be patient.