Reflecting on my Mirror…

Confession—I’m a frustrated neat freak. I love for things to be neat and in order. I want to walk into a room knowing where everything is and that everything is in its place. Unfortunately, the rapid, insane pace of life often makes this impossible.

We have been “on the go” quite a bit this past month. Family events and work commitments have kept us hopping, and that has made for anything except neat in our house. My bathroom counter seems to suffer most, as I live half in and half out of bags, preparing for the next thing. This week I lost something on my counter that I knew was “there somewhere.” I just could not spot it, so I turned to a little trick I’ve learned when this happens.

I looked in the mirror.

For some reason, when I look in the mirror, I can often spot things that I don’t see. It didn’t work this time, because I finally found that I had put the item in a drawer where it belonged, but it made me wonder why it often does work. And then it hit me…it’s a change of perspective.

Last night, Wes and I were in Dallas attending the opening night of Stiff, a one-woman play written and performed by Sherry Jo Ward, my cousin Thomas’ wife. Thomas and his family lived in Huntsville years ago, when his dad Dale Ward was a minister here. Sherry has been diagnosed with an extremely rare neurological disorder called Stiff Person Syndrome. SPS is literally a one in a million disease which affects only about 300 people in the entire United States. Sherry’s play was powerful. Emotional. Sometimes emotions so raw, I sat there with tears streaming more than once. It was also funny, as she laughed at herself and shared real experiences with her audience.

On the drive back to the hotel, we discussed the play, and Wes said, “Really helps you put things in perspective, doesn’t it? Our aches and pains don’t seem so bad anymore.”

Perspective. That word again.

It’s a word that carries such impact. It’s looking at something a different way. Honestly, I think it’s what Jesus meant when he said, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” The Golden Rule. In other words…change your perspective, and see things a different way.

That’s my challenge to myself this month. Change my perspective a little more often than when I lose something. Try more often to put myself in someone else’s shoes and visualize what they are going through. How will that change my actions…or REactions?

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Until next time ~ Karen