This is the view out our front window at 7:00 AM. The somewhat pixel-y photo was taken with my phone camera. At the time, I was struck by the quality of the light and the abundance of the jasmine and geraniums in bloom outside.
Then as I looked again, I started to notice the items outside: the ladder, the bicycle flag, the galvanized planter, the arrangement of pots on the sill. The ladder was really used to paint many walls over many years by my grandfather. It was in his garage and after he went on to be with the Lord, I asked my Dad for it. He was worried that it was not sturdy enough; “Don’t you want a newer metal ladder?” No, I had a plan. That was 15 years ago before garden art was trendy. I saw something else: a way to remember and honor my grandfather and create something of beauty. But I digress.
Each of those items outside has a story attached. After my Mom passed away, my dear friend Melissa took care of our plants and pets for a time while we were away. I came home to a lovely vignette of potted plants that she had potted and arranged to bless me. That was 6 years ago. The view still blesses me.
I am currently reading a book about seeing. Not how we see like a science book but what we perceive as we see the everyday. It’s called Windows of the Soul, by Ken Gire. It was published in 1996. Not a new book, but new to me. As is his premise: the circumstances of life are never just about what you see.
Perspective is everything. But shifting our perspective can be hard. Sometimes it takes the eyes and perspective of another to help us see what is; to see the same circumstance from a different view.
There have been many who have helped me see differently. I need that; seeing differently. Through much adjusting and much practice my morning view takes in far more than what I see in front of me. But that adjusting and practice has taken time and effort. A new way of seeing is the result of long term investment.
Are you in need of a new view? Invest in your growth and personal development. Time, focus, prayer are all tools that you have access to right now.
The one thing that may be missing: an encouraging voice and another set of eyes. A voice to cheer you on, to see what is without the perspective that may be holding you back from seeing all that there is about you.