Sometimes You Can Have The Right Colors, But Be In The Wrong Picture

As my friend and I waited for the O.A.R concert to begin, a group of lumberjack-clad ladies asked me to take their photograph. A neighboring fan, also sporting red and black plaid, was brought in for the picture.

While lining up the shot, it was clear that they all were not going to fit in the picture. I adjusted to fit the ladies in the photo, snapped away, and handed the phone back to its owner. The middle-aged man next to me, who was admittedly high, pointed out that the young man was cropped out of the picture.

“I tried to get him in,” I said, empathetically.

“Right colors, wrong picture,” he quipped.

And for whatever reason, that resonated with me.

There will be times in our lives — especially in dating — when it appears that everything is the way it’s supposed to be, and yet something will still be missing.

Single people can wonder why they have the right job, the right mindset, and be on a successful path in life, yet still have nobody to share it with. Those in a relationship can wonder why everything on the surface appears copacetic, but yet it always feels as if there is something missing.

Part of what makes a long-lasting, loving relationship so fascinating is the fact that, despite every possible deterrent in the world, everything came together. The interest was mutual. The timing was right. It just worked.

These days, it seems like it’s easier to find someone who is “not emotionally available” than it is to find someone who is willing to let themselves be vulnerable and trust that you won’t hurt them. Too many people have had their hearts bumped, bruised, and shattered to the point where the mere idea of taking another leap of faith is downright terrifying.

There have been countless times when I have smiled and posed for the camera with someone, hoping to capture an incredible moment, only to look back later on and realize she was never in the picture.

But that’s the thing about pictures — you never know how they will turn out until you see the finished product. You have to trust that what you’re seeing is the same as what everyone else is seeing.

After years of disillusion, it would be easy to become camera shy. It would be easy to place blame on someone, especially yourself. It would be easy to give up completely. But finding that special kind of love has never been easy, and it likely never will be.

Sometimes you can have the right colors, but simply be in the wrong picture.

That’s no reason to stop taking photos. One of these days, the flash will go off and the camera will capture the same image that you see through the lens of your own eyes.

When you finally get to take a look, the photo that should be worth a thousand words will leave you speechless.