True Colors

Every now and again, I go online and peruse the articles in my old hometown newspaper, The Chattanooga Times Free Press. Even though I haven't lived there for more than 25 years, somehow reading the stories makes me feel like I still have a connection to what's happening back home. Some of the articles spark memories within my mind of events and places and people from my youth ... memories that are often so vivid, it's almost as if I'm being transported back in time to experience them once again. Like the other day when I read a story about a gate failure on one of the locks at the Chickamauga Dam that has caused a significant disruption to the flow of both commercial and recreational traffic on the Tennessee River. I learned some things about the dam and the lock system as I read ... I had no idea they were 75 years old and in need of some serious repair work. I learned that a proposed new fuel tax to fund the repairs has been quite the political issue in Chattanooga over the past few years.

The moment I clicked on the title to read the story, my mind flew back to all those Sunday afternoons when Daddy would take me to the dam to watch the boats go through the locks ... all those Sunday afternoons when he would patiently answer my repeated questions and quietly explain to me over and over again how the lock system worked. To this day, I can't tell you why I was so fascinated by the process of the boats and barges making their way into the channel, the giant gates closing behind them, the water rising or lowering to allow them safe passage to the other side ... but I can tell you this, it was completely and totally mesmerizing to me and it was one of my favorite things to do when I was a kid. 

My dad was a great storyteller ... the best of all time, in my opinion ... and as we watched the vessels in the locks, he would tell me tales of pirates and ships on the open seas. No one could paint a word picture like Daddy ... I could almost smell the sweat of the sailors and hear the roar of the waves as he spoke. In my mind's eye, I could see the great and mighty ships as they made their way from port to port and country to country. I could picture the pirates with their eye patches and wooden legs and the merchant traders with their fancy clothing and golden treasures. It was in the telling of those stories that I first learned what the phrase "showing your true colors" means ... the phrase was originally a maritime reference that over time made its way into general everyday language.

Back in the days of wooden ships and galleons, flags of color were used to identify a ship's nationality and to signal other ships of its intentions. Flags would have different colors, shapes and designs which conveyed different meanings and were used to aid in communication with other vessels at sea. The original purpose for the flags was meant for good ... an outward and visible system that presumed and expected a certain code of honor and integrity among those who sailed the ships. It didn't take long, however, for humans to do what too often seems to be indicative of their nature and develop a way to ... well ... a way to be less than honest with each other. The captains and crews of the ships learned quickly how to pretend ... how to deceive ... how to pillage and steal ... how to inflict the most possible harm. As sad as that truth is, what is even sadder to me is that it was after the battle had begun ... when things got tough and hard and mean and nasty ... that's when the crew would replace the false flag with the true one. Yep, in the heat of battle ... that's when the ship's true colors were shown.

I'm sure by now you're wondering why in the heck I'm writing about dams and locks and ships and flags ... I probably would be too if I were you. So here's the thing ... the really hard thing I've experienced firsthand over the last week or so ... things haven't really changed all that much since the days of those giant wooden ships, at least not when it comes to people hiding their true colors anyway. Even though I would give my life for it to be different, not everyone plays by the rules ... not everyone is honest ... not everyone is trustworthy ... not everyone is loyal ... not everyone has a sense of honor and integrity ... not everyone is kind. Even though I would give my life to make it not be so, there are people who are just not nice ... people who ... nope, I'm not going there ... suffice it to say there are some people who are just not nice at all.

It's often said that a person's true colors come out during times of stress or pressure or when the battle is raging, but I like to hope that my colors are always true no matter what the circumstances of my life may be. I hope when my life is complete, people will be able to say they saw my true colors in good times and bad ... I hope they can say I flew my true colors at all times. I hope with all my heart that those who know me best, that those who love me most, will be able to say they saw my true colors flying high in every moment I live. I pray that my true colors are those of kindness ... those of compassion ... those of honor and integrity ... those of trustworthiness ... those of openness, honesty, realness and transparency. 

Sorry for such a lengthy post this evening ... I'm taking a break from blogging for a time, so maybe that will make my wordiness tonight seem not quite so bad. In keeping with my sailing theme this evening ... I've had the wind knocked out of my sails this week, and it's time to abandon ship for a bit. It's time to step away and lick my wounds ... time to step away and think ... time to step away and make some very difficult decisions. Even though this post is long, I want to close with some song lyrics ... bet you can't guess which song, eh? Until later, friends, please, please, please take care of each other ... be kind to each other ... talk to each other ... listen to each other ... wipe each other's tears ... delight in each other's laughter ... love each other. May those be your true colors, my dear, dear friends ... and may you always fly them high.


"True Colors" by Cyndi Lauper

You with the sad eyes
Don't be discouraged
Oh I realize
It's hard to take courage
In a world full of people
You can lose sight of it all
And the darkness inside you
Can make you feel so small

But I see your true colors
Shining through
I see your true colors
And that's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors are beautiful,
Like a rainbow

Show me a smile then,
Don't be unhappy, can't remember
When I last saw you laughing
If this world makes you crazy
And you've taken all you can bear
You call me up
Because you know I'll be there

And I'll see your true colors
Shining through
I see your true colors
And that's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors are beautiful,
Like a rainbow