Shades of Grey

I was thinking this morning (contemplating) while walking in Lake Park that the light was such that it almost appeared as though I was looking at a black and white photo.  I’ve always loved b&w photography.  The dark gray of the tree branches and the whiteness of the new snow were set against a gradient background all in shades of gray.  It got me thinking about something Paula really helped me with in my “dark” period.  She pointed out to me that most things in life are shades of gray and not really black and white.  I thought about the commonality of that symptom in mental disorders.

People with true axis B disorders, for example have almost an inability to see things in shades of gray and instead see things as only black or only white.  Paula used to describe people this way, that they don’t generally wear white hats or black hats but instead wear some shade of gray.

That got me thinking about the character in one of my favorite books and movies “The Razor’s Edge”.  The character’s name is “Gray”.  Sommerset Maugham gave him that name in an intentional nod to the fact that Gray was ordinary and despite seeing what Larry had seen returned to an ordinary life of black and white.  Larry, on the other hand, saw himself as having a second chance or a renewed vision of his life and strove to see ever subtle shade of gray.

I also thought of the black pearls.  How beautiful the three of you are together.  I love pearls.  I think they are one of the most beautiful things on earth.  I love the fact that they take on a better character when worn more; and the fact that what started as an irritation ultimately became a thing of great beauty.  Those pearls of course aren’t black, they’re a shade of gray.

Lastly I noticed the gray wintery sky which bled in shades of gray from the horizon on upward and I thought about if you look at just one part of it, it’s easy to be misled that there is no color change but pan back and get the big picture and sure enough there is a continuous change in the shades.

Really beautiful.

I’m not sure what all that means.  I just liked the concept.  That’s what makes it a contemplation as opposed to say a conclusion; a shade of gray as opposed to definitely black or definitely white.