One of my former students is currently the only poet to be participating in our Hartwood Elementary Public Seaking Event. She has been writing dilligently for weeks crafting her poem about the symbolic colors of the rainbow. And as I was reading her piece, I realized that she may have gone a bit too far because as we were talking about the colors of the rainbow, I found myself reading a stanza completely devoted to the color brown. 

Now this student is filled with gumption. I'm glad she is because as I verbally questioned her piece, she looked at me with this surprised look on her face and said, "You don't get my rainbow? How could you not get my rainbow?" I said, "I get your rainbow, friend. I'm just wondering why we went off topic and started talking about brown." 

"Brown is in the rainbow." "The rainbow is brown."

Still not following, I made the mistake of asking, "Rainbows are brown? I never see brown when I think of rainbow." 

Getting frustrated, but also trying to remain composed, this student gave out the longest sigh. I was a bit disappointed in myself now because I did not understood what she was trying to communicate. And then it hit me. 

I said, "Friend what do you see in the rainbow? Where do you see brown?"

"Brown is everyhere. I look at the sky and see brown. I look at the room and see brown. I look everywhere and see brown." "Brown is all the colors mixed together." "It isn't ugly."

I sat quiet for a minute and said, "You're right it isn't." 

Are you like me, so set in your ways that you sometimes fail to see the other colors.? Or are you like my friend, questioning the world with a watchful eye. I urge you to always listen when someone seems to say something or do something out of the ordinary. Relax. Listen to what they have to say. Find a new perspective. Listen and paint your next rainbow brown.