Perspective

I was reading a book recently, where the "mentor" was teaching his "pupil" the importance of perspective. It was a little cliche, but it had a nice message -- we all need to look at things from a brighter perspective, especially when things might not be going the way we think they should. The example from the book was -- mentor and pupil were eating sardines and tuna fish from a can, sitting in the sand by the ocean. The mentor commented that "you see yourself sitting here suffering through sardines in the sand. But to me, I'm dining on surf and turf by the sea; it's all a matter of perspective."

Not a new idea, for sure. It goes along with so many teachings about keeping a positive attitude, remembering daily gratitude, and looking for the good in others and the world around us, right? Well, it has made me think about some of my everyday experiences, and how I could try to broaden my perspective a bit more.

Don't look too closely at my pics/examples, and don't pass them on to our landlord, eh? ;) But here are some household thoughts on perspective...

The laundry room...

Previous perspective:
Never-ending chore, always piled high, who threw these clean clothes on top of the stinky wet rags?, clothes crashing down and getting wrinkled before I can fold them, why can't I find any of the tools in the toolbox, let alone even SEE the toolbox!?, the new washer is super-duper slooow... etc.

New-and improved perspective:
I'm not kidding when I say, I'm really really grateful to have a laundry room. We didn't have one in London, and it was so hard to keep the clothes from being all over the hallway, bathroom and bedroom. I'm glad we have that up-high shelf to keep poisonous things (and suckers) out of the way of the children. I'm glad we have so many clothes to wear. really glad. And I'm glad the water heater is in there, even though it makes things pretty tight, because it's a GREAT place for bread to rise (or is it raise??), no joke.

The sink...

Previous perspective:
Who ever thought of just one big tub of a sink??!, hard to keep my produce/chopping/washing, separate from all those dishes, working with chicken (or other meats, when we have them) in this sink seems highly less sanitary, so many dishes, dishes and more dishes, always needing a wash. sigh. Also, is NY immune to disposals or something?

New-and-improved perspective:
Look at that running water, people. Running water, hot or cold, day or night, any time of year. Seriously, I should never, ever, have a negative thought about my sink, when I just consider that simple miracle. And look at all that fresh produce, always fresh, any time of year, so delicious. Plus, we let the kids play Jonah and the Whale in the sink last week as part of our Family Night. Perfect size for a "rolling sea" and giant whale.

Dishes cupboard...

Old perspective: 

Boring olive-green dollar store dishes, not to mention IKEA plastic plates -- a "color" fight waiting to happen, where and why did Brian get those hot pink plastic bowls (he's had them since we got married -- I inherited, :), no wonder I can't ever find my vitamins...

New-and-improved perspective:

Big jars of Costco vitamins, on sale, are GREAT for dinner bribes!, and what better spot to put them than right next to the dinner dishes so Samantha sees them when she gets out plates to set the table (so smart), olive green -- boring, but a perfect size for our every-day meals, and let's not forget those darling white ramikins in the left corner -- make me smile every time I see them.

Tupperware/glasses cupboard: 

Previous perspective:
Seriously, I hate tupperware, especially when it's way up high above my head and every time I reach for one tiny dish the whole stack come crashing down on me. And of course, I can never find the lid to match. Speaking of lids, where are HALF the lids for our sippy cups, and why do sippy cups not stack up better?!

New-and-improved perspective:
Um. Brian organized the tupperwares -- good man. I will try to appreciate the fact that we have dishes for leftovers for all the good food we cook. And I will use a stool, so the whole pile doesn't crash down on me.

Our "snack" area...

Previous perspective:
No room, no room, no room. One little chunk of counter space is sooooo NOT enough for our family of five. And what is that rotting-fruit smell?

New-and-improved perspective:
Wow, I love Costco. Look at all that delicious, snackable, healthy food to eat. Have you tried those multigrain chips? mmmm.... so good. Perfect with Trader Joes Mediterranean hummus.

The pots and pans pile...

Previous perspective:

It takes a mathematical equation to get my pans and lids to all stack in here and have the cupboard door close. (Obviously, I did not properly complete the equation when I took this pic), where's my little one-egg omelette pan?, and the cheese grater? and who stuck more tupperware down here?!?

New-and-improved perspective:

I love my pans set. I'm so glad we splurged a little for some pans I could really enjoy. I also love my cheese grater... wherever it is??

Okay, so enough kitchen cupboard shots, eh? I just felt like sharing a little of my latest thoughts on perspective, or attitude, or gratitude, or whatever you want to call it. The truth is, it works; there are happy ways to look at unhappy things. And when I look at things from a bright perspective, those unhappy views really do disappear, and I feel happier, more peaceful, more grateful. I'm trying to choose happiness -- seriously. I'm very grateful for the many blessings in my life. What I wrote about running water is really the way I feel.

And what I write about the girl who keeps taking off her diaper and peeing in her bed will be real too...

The first time, it was kind of like a little accident. Twice was excusable. The third time around was not fun... especially as it was less than 24 hours after the second time. But she is my baby, I love her to pieces, and she's so super cute, and she's just learning, and I can be patient and wash the sheets yet again, and take funny pictures of her feeling bad about it... 

and then reapply the onesies (or duck tape?) until this stage passes.

All for now... Bye!