I recently took the photo to the right, and it got me thinking about invisibility. The photo is of a seemingly unremarkable window in a long, narrow, unremarkable lady’s room. I imagine the vast number of women who enter the room never even notice the window because the bleakness of the ladies room is overpowering. But if you look at the way the leaves caress the window pane, and how the pastel-colored light cascades through, it’s beautiful. It tells its own story.
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People can be like that too. On the surface, if you notice the person at all, s/he may seem unremarkable. You may walk past without noticing him or her, or they may wait on you and you take them for granted. Sadly — especially in service industries, sometimes within corporate environments — that person is virtually invisible, and their name, unknown. Maybe the cause of his or her invisibility is shyness, lack of confidence, or a preference for privacy. Maybe its caused by the rush of daily life. Or maybe bleak surroundings or circumstances hide their inner glow.

That doesn’t mean the person doesn’t have a story to tell and is any less interesting than the individual who splashes light across every room entered, demanding attention. The thing about being invisible is that nobody really desires that trait. Everyone wants to be seen and to have his or her beauty recognized for what it is, even if they’re not comfortable flaunting it.

Take a minute today to look around your world. Whose beauty have you missed out on? Who can you help become a little less invisible, exchanging a few words. You never know…it may be one of the most rewarding moments of your day.

Published in the May 13, 2021 issue of Beyond the Nest’s free weekly newsletter on arts, culture and recreation.