Delighting in Unexpected Diversity
Despite meaning quite the contrary, the word, “diversity,” has gained a surprisingly narrow definition and/or connotation in recent times.
The second you say, “diversity,” most people jump to inter-ethnic interactions or critical race theory — neither of which I’m going to discuss today.
So everyone relax.
The diversity I most enjoy is the kind that catches you unawares. The kind that makes you feel like a child. The kind that reveals a new world or makes you wonder at the one you thought you already understood.
Take eggs, for example. I’ve eaten the little white orbs for decades. (Though you can also get brown ones if you’re feeling fancy.) I thought I had it figured: eggs = white and brown edible spheres. Got it.
So it was a royal shock and delight when I discovered there are chickens that lay rainbow-colored eggs.
No, those eggs in the photo above are NOT dyed. There are, in fact, birds which lay blue eggs and green eggs and pink eggs! Oh, my! And as a small-time chicken keeper, it is my dream to have a flock which produces an Easter basket-worthy clutch of eggs each day. (Yep. I dream big. And I’ll have to share the story of how my flock came to be in another post.)
And while we’re talking about the diversity of eggs, I would also like to share a bit of the diversity of chickens, for you cannot have one without the other. It seems like every children’s picture book of a farm features either a little brown hen or a little white one. Again — why limit ourselves to white and brown! There’s a whole gallimaufry of feathered friends out there! Here’s a photo of the first Silkie chickens we ever purchased. Say hello to my personal Muppets!
Not to be outdone, here’s a Polish chicken! They’re fancy, too! (This is the kind my mother raised when I was a freshman in high school.)
They even come in black.
And what about vegetables? The first time I flipped through an heirloom seed catalog, I could hardly believe I’d somehow managed to pass college and live in the new millennium without knowing carrots need not always be orange.
Cauliflower need not always be white.
And despite their name, even green beans need not always be green.
So where am I going with all this?
Despite claims to the contrary, our culture values conformity over diversity. Everyone needs to be a certain body type, eat a certain diet, vote a certain party, wear a certain brand, get a certain level of education, job, car, etc. to be classified as “successful.” People view those who fall outside the norm (or who require more consideration) as liabilities - hence, a major reason for me to write my sci-fi novel, Ephemeral.
But people aren’t mass-produced. We each of us come from a particular family in a particular time and particular space. We have particular abilities, habits, quirks, and talents. We have particular tastes and styles. And we change over the seasons.
I’m not saying diversity and relativism are the same thing — they’re not. But my life is richer as I marvel at the diverse variety in creation. God is super-creative. And it makes me smile to see the world in different hues of color.
And as a treat, here’s an article on the surprising diversity of pigeons. These just made me smile. :) I may want some one day …
Also, I was so struck by Mother Alden’s sharing how God helped her to care for her early senile husband who died later. Explaining to the non-believing Clara what the Lord said, the older woman set her cup back on its saucer and said “He said if I couldn't love Jim for Jim's sake, perhaps I could love Jim for His.” 🥰Mother Alden took another sip. “Whether Jim remembered me or not, he still mattered to me more than to anyone else. Forgetfulness does not excuse unfaithfulness.”
Crucial life lesson throughout the universe!
Seeing younger pre-grandparent photos of grandparents helped me to stop and think of them as contemporaries and with compassion! Enjoying this!