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| Which perspective tells you more? Which is more pleasing to the eye, the soul, the mind? |
Perspectives
Yesterday
we moved from our one bedroom vacation rental to our two-bedroom apartment that
is upstairs and across the street from the Gulf. On our moving day, I had a perspective
drawing workshop all day. A dear and
talented octogerian artist taught the class.
His creativity and intelligence surpasses anyone I know. Just being around him generates creative
energy into me. I had a class last year with Wayman Brown and decided to take
two from him this year.
Perspective
has always been a problem of mine. Those
of you who know me are laughing and agreeing.
Putting my rose colored glasses aside, I am referring to drawing
buildings and roofs in perspective. That
can be quite the challenge. However, if
perspective is off, the entire drawing or painting is askew.
As
I sat doing drawing exercises and listening to Wayman, a whole new world
appeared. He had changed my paradigm,
made a dynamic shift in my thinking. At
sixty-eight, that is amazing ! I love
learning and growing, but most importantly, I thrive on epiphanies and
change.
Many
friends enjoy the comfort and security of the familiar, sameness, repetitive
tasks and knowing what is there day will be.
I, on the other hand, wake early each morning and go to my computer and
write. I don’t know what I will
write. I just start typing and a chapter
on my book emerges or a blog develops, or a poem is birthed. A few pages later, I have a new truth, lesson, or happening on my screen. Exciting?
Oh , yes, like today, I am writing about impressions.
Perspective
from our upstairs apartment is so different than last month’s down stair
apartment. I see the ocean from the
seagull and pelicans’ view. I see so
much more from here. I understand the
total picture of the waves, the tides, the reflection of the moon and sun on
the waters. It doesn’t even seem like
the same ocean that I sit and watch under a palm tree. That ocean was limited to my view of one set
of waves, one flock of pelicans, and one group of shells sliding to and fro on
the sands.
I
cannot see the shells from my pelican view.
I see vastness, overwhelming beauty, but not so many tiny details. I see shapes, colors, and reflections. Both views are quite pleasing. It is my insight, either eye level or
pelican level, which ever I choose.
I
think that is life. We choose our attitude and judgement. We choose not to see the
total picture at times because it is too overwhelming. Other times, we get so bogged down in details
that we miss the party. It is as if we
have a worm’s view, and keep digging deeper in that one realm to find
more and miss an obvious happening.
God
gives us another point of view. From the
scriptures, we glean His perspective.
His omnipresent understanding of all truth gives me a paradigm shift of hope , peace and power. I yearn to see from His
eyes, not mine. Let me go and choose my
new frame of reference today. I choose
to see what I want to see and ask that God ushers me into His vision throughout the day. What do you choose today? A worm’s examination , a pelican's view, or God’s perspective?
I
would enjoy hearing about an attitude change that you have experienced by viewing something in a different way. Help me understand your epiphany. I
think it would help all of us grow. So,
please share.
