day 32: I didn’t see that coming

We’re in the car on the way to piano class. There’s a heavy sigh from the backseat—a bone-deep sigh full of longing.

“Sometimes,” says Rilla, “sometimes I wish I were a mantis shrimp.”

I’ll let you sit with that for a moment. I was baffled by this remark but Beanie knew at once what she meant.

“I know, right? Twelve color rods!”

And then they explained to me that human eyes have three photoreceptors, giving us sensitivity to red, blue, and green light. Mantis shrimp have twelve photoreceptors. Rilla was staring out the window, wishing she could see the world in more colors.

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Comments

1. 

   tee+d says:

   I love this so much, it’s ridiculous.
   May we all wish to see the world in more complexity and depth…

   On February 3, 2017 at 11:00 am

2. 

   selvi says:

   I know how she feels! There was a cool radiolab episode about seeing colors and mantis shrimps, maybe they’ve already listened to it? http://www.radiolab.org/story/211178-rip-rainbow/

   On February 3, 2017 at 5:25 pm

3. 

   Randi Lynn Mrvos says:

   Such a great backseat conversation! Now, Rilla has got me wanting to research mantis shrimps.

   On February 19, 2017 at 2:34 pm