Message in a Bottle

I wondered how a camera's sensor reproduces the world around us, both in shape and color. Then I looked at a plastic water bottle and noticed how it reflected the sunlight and the hazy blue sky and the shadowy interior of my car. 

water bottle, a photo by Muffet on Flickr.

That was an epiphany. 

I realized that not only can a camera reproduce the world, but quiet lakes, eyeglasses, and water bottles do too. Every time I look in the bathroom mirror I'm seeing a reflection of the world around me—my bathroom, perfectly reproduced on a sheet of silver-backed glass. 

So I ask myself, why doesn't everything reflect? And then another epiphany: everything does reflect. Everything my eye sees is only visible because it reflects light.* That green tree isn't inherently green; it's actually everything but green so that it reflects back green light and that's why I see. A strawberry is red because it's reflecting back red light, etc. So every blade of grass, every coffee maker, every fire hydrant, every necklace, is just a reflection—

the world is a reflection. 

The Word for 2013

Perhaps you've heard of naming each year of your life with one word or phrase that encapsulates what you hope for, expect, and seek. For example, I christened last year "Adventure," and it lived up to it! I took an exciting trip to visit friends, went out of my comfort zone more than once, applied and was accepted to Capernwray Bible School, took the 40 Day Challenge to show solidarity with the poor, finished my college studies, and took a journey of gratitude by counting 1,000 gifts.

To this year I give a new name: Discovery.