That Looks Exhausting- The Importance of Perspective
This morning I decided to practice a bit of mindfulness and
not do anything on the bus except stare out the window and listen to a podcast.
So I did (it was a great podcast by the way and you should check it out here).
It was a bit glorious to be in that space. One thing I noticed were geese
flying in formation. As I watched them move their wings the one thing I kept
thinking was, “boy that looks exhausting.” I imagined how much work that it
would be to just flap your wings to get around anywhere and I was overwhelmed
by tired. Then I thought, what would birds think about walking?
I guess this all brings home the importance of perspective and why we need to really think about what others are going through. What may seem simple to you may be rather complex to others. What looks exhausting to you may be enjoyable to some. It also suggests how much we can get from a moment of mindfulness. Maybe disconnecting from our devices (if only for 20 mins) will give us the insight we are searching for.
Have you encountered this sort of mindfulness and insight on a short trip? Have you seen something that seemed exhausting but rather turned out to be just a perspective issue?
(As an aside I also want to mention how much I am learning to appreciate small amounts of time in my day. That perspective moment literally happened within 20 minutes or so. Similarly I wrote this post in about 20 minutes on a piece of paper before going to see the first half of the women’s soccer game on campus. I typed it up on the Notes app on my phone in the about 15 minute LTR ride from the GO Bus to the subway. So all things told I produced a 400 word blog post under an hour without having to be tethered to my laptop. I’m starting to discover that there are many little ways to squeeze in written words and reflection in a day that never occurred to me before)
I guess this all brings home the importance of perspective and why we need to really think about what others are going through. What may seem simple to you may be rather complex to others. What looks exhausting to you may be enjoyable to some. It also suggests how much we can get from a moment of mindfulness. Maybe disconnecting from our devices (if only for 20 mins) will give us the insight we are searching for.
Have you encountered this sort of mindfulness and insight on a short trip? Have you seen something that seemed exhausting but rather turned out to be just a perspective issue?
(As an aside I also want to mention how much I am learning to appreciate small amounts of time in my day. That perspective moment literally happened within 20 minutes or so. Similarly I wrote this post in about 20 minutes on a piece of paper before going to see the first half of the women’s soccer game on campus. I typed it up on the Notes app on my phone in the about 15 minute LTR ride from the GO Bus to the subway. So all things told I produced a 400 word blog post under an hour without having to be tethered to my laptop. I’m starting to discover that there are many little ways to squeeze in written words and reflection in a day that never occurred to me before)
Comments
Post a Comment