The Meaning of Iridescence - by Linda Kennedy
Another fabulous piece of work by Linda...this was part of my beautiful Christmas gift!
It is possible to trace the steps of a person’s life by delving into documents and diaries. We can read the birth certificates. We can memorize the accomplishments and quote the passages. These artifacts are useful, but they do not tell us about a person’s soul or about what really mattered to them during a lifetime. These words on paper are like nails that construct a framework for a life, but they do not fill the structure. They do not put the “life” into the lifetime.
Many people will say that they cannot identify what draws them to a person, whether the attraction is professional, political, or personal. They can only say that some unnamed property of speech or dress pulls them there. I believe that I have identified the quality that engages me. I know what my spirit looks for in another person.
It is iridescence.
The dictionary defines iridescence very simply: displaying a play of lustrous colors, like those of the rainbow. There is greater texture and meaning to the word. It sings through otherwise monotonous tasks. It paints with a vivid palette across the context of time. It knows, instinctively, when a phrase can motivate others.
I remember a fifth grade student who I taught years ago. She was of Indian descent and her hair was so black that in the sunlight it looked a shade of blue. I asked her once what her name meant in Indian. She told me it was Hindi for “snow.” I laughed because I didn’t imagine that there would be a word for snow in India. Her essence had iridescence. She could see things that others couldn’t see in music, in science, and in nature.
Certain concepts in science are like the drone of a bagpipe, played underneath all of science like a single note. Iridescence, that property that turns an otherwise ordinary ray of sunlight into a symphony, is present in many of the people that surround me. Children and young adults seem to be more willing to accept the brilliance and texture of iridescence in their lives. It is why they pick up foreign languages and musical instruments more readily than older adults. Even so, adults who have committed themselves to growth, art, progress, and education live more lustrous lives than those who have not.
That is not to say I haven’t worked with educators who lack iridescence. I see them in the teacher’s lounge all the time. Their lives are flat and one-dimensional. Often they go into administration because they have forgotten how to see the intense fire that colors young peoples’ lives. They interpret dimension and variety as an assault on organization.
Many members of my family are iridescent. They don’t just play music; they are music. They don’t just tell a joke; they are joy. They don’t just plant a seed; they create an environment for growth. Some embraced the flavor and spice of luxurious textures when they were young, but when they grew older they preferred a life less challenging. Because iridescence demands something in return from those who linger in its embrace: that you search out the fire in others. It requires you to help others develop and grow into the multi-dimensional beings that they are.
It asks you to inspire.
Some people can put on a veneer of iridescence, but it is not the same. You can tell the difference between a person who wears brilliant colors, and yet shines from within, and one who does not. It is like a blue snow cone—artificial and unnatural. But if you see real glaciers, you can see that ice is not colorless. It can be the color of a baby’s blanket or the tones of teal or aquamarine.
Iridescence can be demonstrated in a voice, in movement, in a laugh. Iridescent people pull the best from others. They sparkle, but they also reflect, and it is that reflection that shows the real essence of a life. Like a prism filling a room full of rainbows, iridescence fills the frame of a lifetime.
That is why I bought the gift that I chose for you for Christmas. I believe that you are iridescent. I believe that your light is not artificial, nor is it superficial. And it is probably true that I have spent two pages saying what could be said in two sentences. You are unique. You are talented, and beautiful.
It is possible to trace the steps of a person’s life by delving into documents and diaries. We can read the birth certificates. We can memorize the accomplishments and quote the passages. These artifacts are useful, but they do not tell us about a person’s soul or about what really mattered to them during a lifetime. These words on paper are like nails that construct a framework for a life, but they do not fill the structure. They do not put the “life” into the lifetime.
Many people will say that they cannot identify what draws them to a person, whether the attraction is professional, political, or personal. They can only say that some unnamed property of speech or dress pulls them there. I believe that I have identified the quality that engages me. I know what my spirit looks for in another person.
It is iridescence.
The dictionary defines iridescence very simply: displaying a play of lustrous colors, like those of the rainbow. There is greater texture and meaning to the word. It sings through otherwise monotonous tasks. It paints with a vivid palette across the context of time. It knows, instinctively, when a phrase can motivate others.
I remember a fifth grade student who I taught years ago. She was of Indian descent and her hair was so black that in the sunlight it looked a shade of blue. I asked her once what her name meant in Indian. She told me it was Hindi for “snow.” I laughed because I didn’t imagine that there would be a word for snow in India. Her essence had iridescence. She could see things that others couldn’t see in music, in science, and in nature.
Certain concepts in science are like the drone of a bagpipe, played underneath all of science like a single note. Iridescence, that property that turns an otherwise ordinary ray of sunlight into a symphony, is present in many of the people that surround me. Children and young adults seem to be more willing to accept the brilliance and texture of iridescence in their lives. It is why they pick up foreign languages and musical instruments more readily than older adults. Even so, adults who have committed themselves to growth, art, progress, and education live more lustrous lives than those who have not.
That is not to say I haven’t worked with educators who lack iridescence. I see them in the teacher’s lounge all the time. Their lives are flat and one-dimensional. Often they go into administration because they have forgotten how to see the intense fire that colors young peoples’ lives. They interpret dimension and variety as an assault on organization.
Many members of my family are iridescent. They don’t just play music; they are music. They don’t just tell a joke; they are joy. They don’t just plant a seed; they create an environment for growth. Some embraced the flavor and spice of luxurious textures when they were young, but when they grew older they preferred a life less challenging. Because iridescence demands something in return from those who linger in its embrace: that you search out the fire in others. It requires you to help others develop and grow into the multi-dimensional beings that they are.
It asks you to inspire.
Some people can put on a veneer of iridescence, but it is not the same. You can tell the difference between a person who wears brilliant colors, and yet shines from within, and one who does not. It is like a blue snow cone—artificial and unnatural. But if you see real glaciers, you can see that ice is not colorless. It can be the color of a baby’s blanket or the tones of teal or aquamarine.
Iridescence can be demonstrated in a voice, in movement, in a laugh. Iridescent people pull the best from others. They sparkle, but they also reflect, and it is that reflection that shows the real essence of a life. Like a prism filling a room full of rainbows, iridescence fills the frame of a lifetime.
That is why I bought the gift that I chose for you for Christmas. I believe that you are iridescent. I believe that your light is not artificial, nor is it superficial. And it is probably true that I have spent two pages saying what could be said in two sentences. You are unique. You are talented, and beautiful.
Labels: essay, iridescence, linda kennedy
posted by Megan at 5:24 PM
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