Give Thanks...Seeing The Good Through The Bad

It's not the best example of perspective...a bit of a stretch, actually. I didn't think about it until I got home and looked at the photos of the sunset I took returning home last week. The sunset looked to be another classic. Of course, you have to see how a sunset turns out. 

Turns out, it was a good one.

As sunsets sometimes do, this one became more stunning as time passed. When possible and whenever it was safe, I snapped a picture from time to time as the colors increased, the light transformed from captivating to breath-taking. Since I wanted to get home, I didn't check the shots I took until I pulled them up from my computer and checked them out.

My favorite shot was not perfect, as far as the qualities that make a good photograph good. The beauty of the sunset can be seen through a dirty car window, the angle of the sun greatly highlighted the dirt. Still...

It was beautiful.

Life is like that. You can use technology to "remove" the dirt, eliminate the bad leaving only the a false presentation of reality. I suppose I could have used some program to show only the incredible sunset. Life, however, has dirt...has problems. The trick is to see through the dirt to the beauty beyond.

I'm thankful I could see the sunset, watch as it developed. I'm thankful that there's dirt because without the dirt, it's harder to appreciate the beauty.

I Mean, How Dim Am I...? Don't Answer That

 Maybe it was because we had been shopping most of the morning and I was tired. Maybe it was because we hadn't had our Costco pizza slice (the ABSOLUTE best meal value, by the way...), or maybe it's because I was dim. Whatever the reason, I looked at something while taking a break on one of Costco's comfy chairs.

Look at the above picture. What do you see?

I see a backyard gym that will hopefully provide hours and hours of enjoyment and will act as a deterrent to screen time. I see the price, a dollar under $1200. I see a huge assembly headache. I see lots and lots of creative options for the youngsters. 

But I saw something else...

I saw a potential dangerous situation, and I thought..."How could they build something so dangerous?"

If you notice, as I did, there's a tic-tac-toe game on the second floor of the amazing structure. I looked at that and thought how dangerous it is to have kids hanging on the outside of the second story playing tic-tac-toe. It took me a minute to realize there's two sides to the game. Yes, if kids could only access the game from the outside, it's dangerous and irresponsible. But, if they play from inside--totally fine.

Funny how you think you understand life, and then you realize, not always.

It's a good lesson, but it looking at an expensive children's toy, or when thinking about things that really matter.

It's All Perspective...

The picture obviously caught my attention--it did what it was designed to do. 

The Click-Bait snagged another viewer.

But, in my defense, the picture was engaging. I mean, what is the thing? Is it a piglet? A rat? Some sort of abnormal creature that is mystifying scientists?

Well, if you can't figure it out, I'll tell you what it is at the end of this post. And when I do, you'll instantly see it and realize it's all about perspective.

Perspective is a funny thing. We hear the term "The New Normal" thrown around all the time. People--most people--would love for their lives to return to the way it was before. But, the life you think you knew was an illusion. Things were never "normal." We get kicked back to reality whenever something happens to us, be it a something big like a new world-wide virus, or something much more localized, like the passing of a loved one. Things that used to make sense no longer do. And we are left wondering about the life we thought we knew.

This event of history we're experiencing now will be studied by economists, sociologists, psychologists, historians, medical professionals, and even politicians and lawyers for decades to come. What we know now will pale in comparison to what we will know later. How does knowledge change our perspective? 

It's fascinating.

Sometimes, we don't realize how much power we have and how things change just by looking at them differently. Case in point, the above picture. Look at it again. Now, tilt your head and look at the picture again. This is not a picture of some disfigured animal, but an adorable chihuahua. What looks like the animal's nose (closest to the camera) is the dog's ear and what looks like an ear (pointing up) is the dog's nose. When we look at things from a different view, so much can change.

It's all perspective.

Blurry Outlook...It's A Matter Of Perspective

I was in a unique situation last week. The assignment I had held for almost two years ended and I returned to the job I had before I accepted the assignment. But, at the same time, I had applied for another job, a job I was qualified for and one I felt I might get. So, even though I had relocated to the new office, I kept all my stuff in the boxes just in case the new position came through and I'd have to put everything back in my car and unload it all at my new desk.

Then the new job for which I applied didn't work out. I didn't find out until mid-week last week. It was strange re-learning a job that I might not even be doing. I found it hard to focus. When the news hit I didn't get the job, focus on relearning everything became my number one priority.

That's why I found the view from my new desk so funny. It's an older window so it doesn't have a built-in tint to help block the direct sunlight the windows receive. Newer windows, like my co-workers, do have that built-in feature. They replaced her window a few years ago and the view is beautiful.

For me, it's still a nice view, just blurry. I have been tempted to take that film that tints the window and peel it back, even a small portion would be okay--just enough that I could see the blue sky. I don't, of course, because I'd probably get in trouble. And there may be others working in the office who don't really care that their view is blurry. Then it probably cost money to put up the aftermarket tint and I'd have to repay that cost.

Still, it's a matter of perspective. The new job became less blurry once it became clear I didn't get the other job. And even though I still can't see clearly out the window, I at least know where I'm going to be for the time being.

Looking Up...

For the past month, or maybe three weeks, I've been taking a couple of breaks each day to walk the stairs at work. There's six floors on the south side of the building and seven floors on the north side. I go up and down each side twice a day. And because I've let myself go a little bit, by the time I reach the top of Floor Seven, I'm a little winded. 

In fact, as I begin the second set of stairs, I methodically take each step, one foot in front of the other, floor after floor. And I noticed something this afternoon.

I never look up.

When I take the stairs I usually look down at each upcoming step. Sure, it's a safety issue, but occasionally it's good to lift your head and take a look around. The point is, I don't look at the destination. I don't look for the goal. I'm not focusing on the prize. 

Today I looked up to where I was going. I know it's a very simple act, but it actually helped me do the stairs. I saw where I was headed. It made the experience a little better. So many things in our lives are done automatically. We go into "robot mode" with the things we do every day. I'm going to try and look at things differently, have a different perspective with the ordinary. Maybe I can try that with my writing. Who knows what can happen?

Last Tuesday Night's Sunset...

Almost a week ago in the skies above the Salt Lake Valley, the firmament became a sea of colors. It was stunning. I was checking out some random Instagram photos this weekend and there were a lot of pictures of the same thing I saw. The sunset moved them to the point where they had to capture the moment on their phones and cameras. It also affected them so much, they had to share.

And so do I. For some sunsets, I'll take out my phone. For others, I'll grab the Nikon. And for the best sunsets, I'll not only get the Nikon, but I'll swap lenses. Last Tuesday night I did all three.

The phone pictures didn't really turn out as I hoped. When the entire sky's aflame, I try and get a panoramic shot. It's too bad it didn't work.

And the other phone pictures didn't fare much better. I couldn't capture the colors. I also don't do a lot of editing with the computer. I'm kind of a "take a picture of what I'm seeing, not what the computer can make amazing" kind of photographer, even though the art created by computers with the talents of others is incredible.

But the Nikon came through. The50- 200 mm zoom sees things that are unreal. The sky was so orange and red when I used that lens. 

But this sky needed the regular 55 mm. I set the perspective to catch as much sky as possible. I snapped a few pictures. I am grateful to live in a place that allows me to capture such beauty, and for a way to share.