Absolute on the Rocks

I grew up in a world that was primarily black and white. It consisted of many lists of absolutes. There were wrong and rights, goods and bads, dos and don’ts. We lived by the absolutes and we judged other’s accordingly. 

As a young adult, the lines between what was once black and white began to blur and life become much more gray. What may be wrong in one situation, was the ‘right thing to do’ in another. I found myself living a lot in the gray. 

Blame it on age, or experiences, or the need to find a deeper meaning in life, but as the old absolutes began to fade – colors began to fill my world’s gray canvas. 

As my adult children began families of their own and a new generation began to sprout, the gray faded rapidly as new colors of ideas, realities, and life bled through.

I can now count my absolutes on one hand:

• If we are born, we will die.
• God is love and ALL love comes from Him.
• We harvest what we’ve planted.
• We must remember what is good, or it be washed away with the bad.
• No one will ever truly know what you are tasting…it is unique to you!

Allowing the black and white canvases of life to fade away is scary simply because it means we must let go of ideals and accept what is real. Those black and white canvases gives us the right to judge others, to find the errors of their ways, to correct other’s colorful worlds with our black and white brushes. 

Living in a world outside of black and white can feel messy and uncontrollable – it is also freeing and offers infinite possibilities. It opens our imaginations and broadens our understanding; it makes us wiser, more accepting, and alive.

Absolutes are still part of my life…but usually I prefer them on the rocks…with a twist.