What is One Iris?

For my inaugural post, I'd like to explain the title of this blog.

"Iris" is a word that has a multitude of meanings to me. For one, the iris is an essential part of the eye that controls the amount of light it lets in. Thus the iris is responsible for how brightly or dimly one sees the world. I hope the writing in this blog would be like an iris, helping me to express and interpret what I experience.

One's eye color is also dictated by the iris. The eyes are often said to be the most beautiful part of one's face, but where would it be without the iris? Though there are only a handful of iris colors, each individual iris sees the world in a different way. Thus the iris also represents individuality within a broader group, whether it be in color or in identity.

I'd like to think that when we stare into another's eyes, we admire not only the shining blues or deep browns. After all, there are many other eyes that bear the same color. Rather, we admire what that individual iris has seen and the identity of the person who bears it. In that sense, the eye really is a window into the soul.

Finally, Iris is a species of flower. It is a hardy, yet delicate flower that comes in every color of the rainbow, like the greek goddess that it takes its name from. People are a lot like flowers. In some seasons we bloom, and others we wilt. But the iris flower is a perennial, so it can survive winters and bloom once again in the spring just like people. We both live a pretty short time overall, but the time we do have is beautiful if we live it to the fullest. The Iris flower thus serves as a reminder of the resilience, beauty, and brevity of life.

This blog is a window into one of those irises.