So much of life is about perspective, don’t you think?
I was reminded of that just recently. I was playing on a soccer field with my grand kids. Nothing too formal. We were just kicking the ball around and having fun.
The day was sunny but cool. You could tell fall was just around the corner. As I looked out across the expansive field, I could see a man on a zero turn mower off in the distance, zooming back and forth, cutting the grass for what would most certainly be the last time of the season.
I couldn’t help but shake my head sarcastically. What a waste of city funding. Anybody could tell the grass wasn’t in need of cutting. After all, it was already browning and patchy in spots. All he was going to do was stir up a dirt cloud! ‘What an absolute waste of time and tax-payer money,’ I thought to myself.
(Admit it. That’s about as dying & brown as it gets. Right??!)
Then I heard it— the excited squeal of one of my sweet grandchildren.
“MiMi! Come look! They’re so pretty!”
“Pretty?” I thought to myself. “How on earth is dying, brown grass pretty?”
Of course, I didn’t SAY that out loud or anything. I did what any good grandmother would do. I allowed my excited little grandson to grab me by the finger and lead me — not so gently— towards a section of grass about twenty feet from where I’d been standing.
“Look MiMi! Look! They’re so pretty!” he exclaimed.
Suspiciously, I looked down. More dying, brown grass.
“No MiMi! You can’t see them from up there! You have to be down HERE!” he chided.
Now friends … I’m 5’6” so my vantage point wasn’t terribly far from his! What on earth was he seeing that was so spectacular that I couldn’t see from such a limited distance away? I let out a weary sigh but conceded. He pulled me to the ground and pointed.
There… amongst the dying brown grass was… the most beautiful collection of tiny white flowers! This is literally the same picture from earlier. I simply expanded it. These beauties were there all along!!
Each was shaped like a four-sided star, and… upon closer observation, each tiny petal was lined with rows of soft hairs. White stamens protruded from their centers. There weren’t two or three… or even ten of these little beauties. There were dozens! Each tucked down between blades of dying, brown grass— on a soccer field that was trampled by gaggles of cleat-wearing children multiple times a week!
I have no idea how these fragile looking little blossoms survived in such an unwelcoming environment. But the sight of them brought a smile to my face. As I ran my fingers through my grandson’s sweaty hair, I was prompted to offer a moment of silent gratitude. Had he not persuaded me to stop and change my vantage point, I would have missed the wonder of the moment right in front of me!
Life can become like that so easily if we allow it! We get busy; tired; perhaps even a little lazy. We grow old— not in body but in mind. We often lose our child-like wonder and our appreciation for the “little things” is pummeled to death by invaders like “schedules”, “responsibility” and the “pressures of life”.
I struggle with those things, too— but on this particular day, I was reminded that surrendering to them is a choice! We can just as easily CHOOSE to nurture that child-like appreciation for the “little things”. It starts with where we allow our mind to go and ends somewhere on the self of priorities.
We aren’t victims of our busy schedules. More accurately, we are merely the result of what we focus on! No wonder so many of us are sick, depressed, anxiety-ridden and lacking the energy to get through our day. If our mind is fed a diet of negativity and our bodies are depleted of real food, physical movement, quality down time and good sleep, what other results should we expect???
We all know these things, so I’m just “preaching to the choir” here. I know these concepts and yet— continually lose sight of them, so I thought maybe I’m not the only one who needs reminding? So friends, here’s a simple piece of counsel. Stop and smell those flowers (literally AND figuratively!) Make conscious, intentional choices to eat better, to get some sunlight; go for a walk; make time to laugh and refresh yourself —daily.
It takes effort. It requires commitment. It will be an investment of your time as well. But I am a firm believer that we each make time for what we believe is important. Be determined to see past the dying, brown grass to find the tiny little flowers of life. I promise you’ll be grateful you adjusted your vantage point!
Until Next Time,
