Choose to See


Have you ever wondered why nothing good ever seems to happen?  Why your house is falling apart, your relationships, though not terrible, never have that magical feel that so many other talk about?  Feel like food doesn’t look as appetizing as it once did, that smells don’t even bring that bliss that once you remember feeling just at a whiff of home-made bread? 

Sometimes, not always, but sometimes. . . it is simply because we look, but do not see.  Humans are interesting beings.  We are made up of this little self-fulfilling mind-set that always bends towards being right.  We like to see, what we expect. 

Did you know that if there is a black speck on the windshield, and if you don’t look directly at it, but slightly to the side, it will disappear?  That is because our brains automatically fill in the gaps.  It creates symmetry, even where there is none.  Look directly back at the speck however, and it is right there, specky as always.  Fortunately for us, we have the capacity to look past the unimportant imperfections.  Unfortunately for us, if we continually look right AT them, that is all we’ll see. 

Next time you find that your house is falling apart, try this:   Look past the broken banister to the perfectly sturdy stairs under your feet.  Overlook the one drawer in the kitchen that has fallen off the track, and see the 15 other drawers that have served you well for ten years.  For today, forget about the spot on the tile that is cracked, and relish the other 92 tiles that are pristine, clean and ready to serve you.  You’ll not only see more of the beauty, you’ll feel the warmth and gratitude of all that is right. 

Try it with your spouse, your child, your co-worker.  Choose to see the windshield instead of the squashed bug. . .

Comments

  1. Crystal DeverOctober 17, 2010 at 9:15 PM

    Love the speck analogy. Very cool. Goes with gratitude too... we *choose* to be grateful and what to be grateful for. Instead of seeing all the bad. Working on that. Broken banister? Broken drawer? Hum... where'd you get those ones? ;)

    So... HOW do we do that? Make ourselves see what we WANT to see? Instead of what we see on our own?

    ReplyDelete
  2. MGSKellerNovember 2, 2010 at 9:11 AM

    You may see the bad, but living there isn't necessary. It is the 'should' principle in essence. "I really SHOULD fix that bannester" doesn't get it fixed. "I'm going to get some nails when I go to the store on Tuesday and fix that next Wednesday" does. It also releases you from 'worrying' about it, sort of like a computer, it frees up your RAM or daily 'to do' list when something is scheduled.

    When you see something in someone that is 'bad', take note, noticing isn't condeming. Then LOOK for something good. Notice something that makes you smile about them and the 'bad' thing falls into perspective.

    ReplyDelete

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