It’s All in Your Perspective

 

I was in a grocery store line this past week, waiting to check out.  As usual, I followed my list and remembered a few other items along the way, ending up with a fairly full buggy.  Why does it seem as though we always need more food in the house?

Behind me in line was a woman and her husband.  They had a very full buggy.  She commented to me that it looked as though we would both be doing the same thing—feeding our families for Christmas.  I smiled and nodded.  She then proceeded to tell me that she had been doing this for 50 or so years, and that it should be someone else’s turn!  With three grown children and lots of grandkids, she had done her time with the Christmas dinner.  Oh, and why would they even want to come to her house, since they all have much bigger homes with lots of  room?  Her home is tiny in comparison. 

Perspective.  I suddenly recalled wonderful memories of returning to the home where I had spent lots of my growing-up years.  It was a spacious farm-house in the middle of corn and bean fields.  My favorite thing to do when I went “home,” besides eating my mom’s wonderful meals, was sleep.  It was so quiet and peaceful there in the country.  I could totally relax.  As my family grew to include a husband, children and dog, they felt the same sentiments.

So, I felt compelled to let my new acquaintance know this.  The reason her children liked to come home for Christmas was because it was comforting and safe.  How wonderful to have that relationship, when many families are at odds and may not even be speaking to one another.  Yes, it is lots of work to cook for a house full of people who probably need a nap after dinner.  My suggestion to her:  Let them know how happy she is that they can be together, and ask early on for help in the cleanup.  How many times would there be less misunderstanding and feelings of resentment, if we would only ask for what it is we need?

When a situation gets on your nerves, try turning it around to a positive.  Maybe it’s not possible, but maybe it is.  Decide to enjoy the people you love, because it is a choice we make every day.  God Bless~

“We all have the power to give away love, to love other people.  And if we do so, we change the kind of person we are, and we change the kind of world we live in.”   Harold Kushner