Colors. Colors are probably the first thing you notice when you see this picture. Seeing colors is an amazing talent your eyes have. The light reflects so perfectly on certain things that your eyes perceive a beautiful array of—yep, you guessed it—colors. "Colors speak louder than words" is a common phrase. But is it true? Is what you see more important than what you say? For me, the answer is no.

I'm colorblind. I know there's a lot of colors out there, but my vision is limited when it comes to pigments. I still see what everyone else sees; but is my red the same red you see? Is the sky as blue as everyone says it is? Is fall really an amazing explosion of colors? And the biggest thing that puzzles me: What is a rainbow? Surprisingly, I know the answer to these questions. My red is different than other people's red. The sky is as blue as can be. Fall comes in shades of red, orange, and yellow. The color order of a rainbow is red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. I know the colors, I just don't see them.

When I spent time walking around and taking pictures I had to pause and realize the sad reality that I will most likely never get to experience what a real rainbow looks like. But there are still words I can speak. I know how to start a conversation and text a friend. I know how to write a story and sing a song. I know how to speak different languages and laugh at jokes. I truly do believe that words speak louder than colors. Even if I couldn't see at all, I'd still know how to use my words. But I can see.

I can see the world around us and how it's all changing so fast; the poverty, racism, crime, pollution, inequality. I can see when people are happy; an emotion I don't see enough of. I can see the person looking back at me in the mirror; a person I hope I'll get to know one day. And I can even see what's underneath colors. Red—the color of strength; orange—the color of fascination; yellow—the color of joy; green—the color of growth; blue—the color of wisdom; purple—the color of ambition.

I guess I can see a rainbow afterall.