Perspective--Part 1

Perspective.  Part 1.  When you read that title you were probably thinking that "Part 1" means there is probably going to eventually be a "Part 2" or 3 or 4 or....  Well, I think you'll be right even though I don't have any thoughts swirling for a Part 2.  The idea of having perspective is just such a big concept to me and something that I really dwell on a lot that I think my little brain probably has more than one blog post in there on this subject.  I tried to go back through my blog and look to see if I ever posted anything about perspective, but I'm so blogger naive that I wasn't able to figure out how to do that.  So, I guess if I don't even remember blogging about this before then hopefully you don't either.

Yesterday I posted a picture on Facebook and said that I was contemplating a new blog post and didn't think anyone would guess what it was going to be about.  Guess what!!  No one got it right.  I really didn't think anyone would even try to guess but right away there were comments firing in.  Here's the picture I posted:

Here are the guesses from my friends:  "Sanctity," "shoes," "your parents," "love conquering the will over to complete trust," the bygone days of uniforms and WHITE SHOES," "something to do with nursing," "World War II," "love," "trips to Flora," "spontaneous kisses."


I love it!!  One little picture and a lot of different perspectives on it.  I didn't have the forethought that I would use the comments I received on that picture to illustrate my point.  I was only thinking of the picture itself to illustrate my point.  But, since my friends are so creative and generous with their comments then I couldn't leave them out.  What does this picture have to do with perspective, you ask?  Well, first of all if you've been alive for 20 years or more then you've probably seen the photograph of this image from the end of World War II.  You might not have seen the enormous, awe-inspiring statue replication that is located in Sarasota, Florida.  So, if you were thinking, "I've seen that image before but I don't remember grass being in it" then you probably also didn't notice the person standing with her elbow propped on the nurse's heel.  Look a little closer.

See her now?  Yep, that's me in my fabulous summertime maxi dress. I love that dress and I am missing getting to wear it along with my other summer clothes. Anyway, I'm digressing on the dress. Summer fashion is not what this post is all about. Perspective is what it's all about.

The idea of perspective is something that I contemplate quite a bit. I think I have a healthy dose of it due to working in hospice for all these years. My problems can seem really petty when they are held up against a young mother my age trying to find the words to say to her children who will grow up with her as a fading memory. Hearing about others coping with loss--loss of independence, loss of relationships due to advancing disease or dementia, loss of function, loss of...--is something I encounter every day. My appreciation for these families and the hospice staff who cares for them grows with each passing year.

I was talking with one of my co-workers recently and we were chatting, as we often do, about our latest plan to lose that elusive last 10 pounds. Gia and I have worked together for more than 10 years. It was after Christmas and I think the conversation had something to do with cookies. We talked about the battle of wanting to lose those last pounds but also wanting to eat cookies. I said something like, "Gia, do you think a patient our age who is faced with losing everything would wish she had denied herself the cookies and lost those last ten pounds? No. She would say that life is too short. Eat the cookies!!". Now I'm not an advocate for gluttony but I think we do let ourselves stress over things that really shouldn't be stressors in our lives. It's all about perspective, how we choose to frame our circumstances and our attitude regarding our circumstances.

Well, I guess Part 1 is really more of an intro than a Part 1. I have a whole lot more to say on this subject but it's been a while since I last posted so I want to get this one out there to get your juices flowing on this subject. Take a step back and think about the importance you place on various circumstances in your life. Are they really worthy of your stress and frustration over them?

More later.

Love to all.

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