One Red Tulip

I was attending a conference in a big city one spring, and it was such an amazingly beautiful day, I decided to take a walk during the lunch break. There were lots of people out walking, talking on their cell phones, sitting on steps enjoying their lunches, and it was a nice break. I turned a corner and there was the most amazing garden of tulips outside a large, glass building. There were hundreds of them all in bloom, bowing their lovely heads in the breeze and making the scene extraordinarily lovely. I noticed right away to my delight that all of the tulips were yellow – except one. Right smack in the middle of that sea of gorgeous yellow tulips was one red bloom. It was bright, and gorgeous and there was no way to miss it. I stood there laughing – what a delightful surprise! I wondered if the gardener had planted it there on purpose to bring some whimsy to the sight, or if the red bulb had someone gotten mixed into the bag by mistake. Whatever the case, it was wonderful to see it there. All those incredible, big, beautiful yellow blooms and one, “Yes I’m here! Look at me!” red one! I loved it.

I imagine other people loved the scene as much as I did – the surprise of the red, the unexpected burst of difference in a sea of sameness. And I also imagine there were some who walked by and thought it was such a shame that one red tulip had ruined the harmony of the garden. It just depends on your perspective. I tend to find joy in unexpected surprises like this, but I understand that not everyone sees things this way. For some, the garden would have been perfect if all the blooms had been the same color. There would have been harmony, continuity, and comfort in everything being alike. But for me, the surprise of something new in the sea of conformity was delightful.

We are all different and unique. But we have to assimilate to some degree to find success. If we have jobs, we have to show up when we’re expected, there is a norm for behavior we need to follow, the way we say things, the way we dress, the way we react, all these things may be ordered in some ways so we can fit into the model set forth. If we belong to personal organizations, those same rules may apply. Even in our families, there are certain things that are expected that we may not necessarily like doing. Despite our ability or desire to conform to those ideas, inside we are still unique – the only one on earth like us. We each broke our own molds. Nobody else was made exactly the same. Even identical twins have personality traits that differ. We are, in essence, the red tulip. Even in a sea of yellow tulips, we can shine. We can still be “tulips”, and fit the model in that way, but we can display our uniqueness to those around us in positive, and beneficial ways.

It’s important to remember who we are and that our surprising, beautiful, positive, and amazing uniqueness is what brings depth and richness to the world. We were created this way for a reason. If we were all the same the world may as well be flat. There would be no excitement, no treasure, no wonder. If everything was the same each day would be predictable. Nobody wants to live the same day over and over, and we shouldn’t want to be the same as anyone else. We need to be who we are. The differences we all carry are what enhance our experiences here, and make us tolerant, patient, and understanding. The differences are what bring delight – and yes sometimes disharmony – but sameness can only bring boredom. Embrace your unique color. Embrace who you really are. Be red. It’s good to be red. It’s good to be unique. It’s good to be us. We can bring our own colors to the party. Celebrate that!