It's All About Perspective

Back at one of my favorite spots, the Los Angeles Zoo. Perspective is something that we often don't put much thought into, but it so importantly shapes our outlook on and interpretation of life and the world around us. By altering ones perspective one alters his or her outlook and demeanor, but it can go either way. What can go up can also go down, our perspective can downshift or upgrade depending on which perspective we allow ourselves to look through. 

Standing there at the zoo I looked up and heard the waterfall before I saw it. I love waterfalls, any moving water at all really. So relaxing, so beautiful, so alive. It took me a couple of minutes to realize what I was really looking at. Standing there on top of the rock outcrop was a beautiful bird that I believe was from Africa. The colors on it were so bright and vivid, especially contrasted with the black of so many of its feathers. I also noticed that right next to me was a telescope to help better view the birds and animals there on top of the rock and in the surrounding areas. I laughed to myself. What a great metaphor. Using the tools around me that I hadn't taken the time to see, I could have seen the bird up close as soon as I arrived at the spot. I tend to get consumed though and forget about everything else. I tend to get lost in certain things. I become so enthralled by something or someone that I don't even see the rest of the world happening all around. It's moments like those that we have to stretch and get up, get moving. Look for the telescopes around you, the things that will help give you perspective. The things that will help open your eyes to the world around you and truly see. So often we get caught up in the beauty and excitement of something new or something we love and we miss the fact that there are so many other beautiful and amazing things out there. Why limit ourselves to just one when the world is vast and full of wonder?

Voices of Joy

The farther along I get in this blog the more I contemplate what I want to do with it and how I want to use it to actually make a difference and make a change. Change starts with one individual, one voice among the many others. While I try to make my voice heard I also realize and embrace the fact that I am but one in a sea of voices. I try to find the Joy in my life, even when it takes all my strength, because it is what keeps me going. It is how I survive. I search out those things that bring me Joy and hold on to them. So hopefully do you, and everyone else reading this, and on and on. We all have our own individual Joy and our journey through life is made worth taking by the Joy that we find in life along the way. Living in the here and now is a hard thing, but the more we work on it, the more we focus on it and just kind of let go and try the better off we are. This blog is about my pursuit of my Joy and sharing it with you all in the hopes that I can inspire someone to find the Joy in their own life.

But I also want it to be about other voices, other points of view. There is more than just one kind of person in the world and an infinite number of perspectives people can have. We are all ourselves with our own unique story, vision and wisdom. Each of us has been through a unique set of experiences in life and the more we can learn from our Joy and share it with others the more we can help them through similar situations or just in general. Our individualism is what makes us amazing, what make us unique. Like the lines in the bark of a tree, not one ever the same. For the tree itself and for the tree as a whole. Each tree is unique and as well the pattern is never repeated within the tree. The tree and bark adapt as they grow and things happen. We are like trees in that way, we are unique and yet connected and interwoven into the world around us, above ground where it is easy to see and ten times more so underground where we lie down our roots. While being the tree, we are also each like a small piece or part of that unique natural pattern. Up close things look disconnected and chaotic, but from far away, when perspective changes, the beautiful tapestry of that towering tree that is at least decades old becomes clear.

I have decided to include three other voices on the blog on a weekly basis to help show other people's Joy and what it means to him or her. Joy comes from the smallest things in life and this can help us see that and see the simple Joy in our own lives. The first woman, with her southern wit and charm, is Ms. Tami F. We are going to have Tami Tuesday's and get updates on Tami and her Joy and learn through her experiences. Jenny, a tough & growing young LA woman, will be coming to us one day of the week as well - probably Wednesday. That leaves the last and final new voice, Jerry J - retired from the army, civil & public service, telecommunications and so much more - will be coming to us on Thursdays to help lead us into the end of the week and the weekend. I wanted to bring on these three voices to help show the diversity of Joy and how, yet, it can still bring it all together. We can learn from each other and grow together and be Joyful together. I am really excited and can't wait to see what everyone has to say! We can make it along the way focusing on the pursuit of our own Joy, the secret though is sharing it and accepting it from others. That's what makes it mean more and makes it stay with you.

A Dam Hard Time

One of the hardest things to gain in life is perspective. Most of the control over how we view the world is our own, although there are other factors involved as well. Other influences that distort our reality and perception. These distractions are both a part of life and creatures of our own invention. When we get angry, anxious, upset, depressed and whatever else it's like we are putting on different colored sunglasses. Like the ones that make everything look blue, or the ones with the added red tinting. After wearing them for a while taking them off is a shock for a second because you see that reality is much different than the way you viewed it through shaded lenses. The dangerous part is when we are wearing glasses and can't even tell. This is often how it unfolds because when you have anger, depression or anxiety controlling how you look at the world it often blinds you to it's power by consuming your every thought. We have to remain strong and diligent. We have to be careful and stay constantly vigilant in our search for joy. Don't let emotions control your every move and every decision. For me this is one of the hardest things to do. But the first step is waking up and realizing when you aren't seeing straight. Then you can start to do something about it. On our hike today we went over and around the Sepulveda Dam here in the valley. I love the concrete architecture, the grand scale and the stark contrast between the massive structure and the sprawling meadow and grasslands. I went up right next to the dam and took a panoramic picture. When I saw it on my phone it stopped me for a second. The dam was there but the perspective had been warped, as if wrapped around an invisible sphere. As the picture stretched on it straightened out and became normal again. From my spot the perspective was warped, my spot. It reminded me how so often I let my feelings and emotions control me and how I react to situations. Without seeing it I cause my own anxiety and misery. I'm the only one who can change my perspective back to normal. What blinds you? What burdens and emotions control your feelings and direction? Face them, even if you can't find the perfect way to fight them yet the first step is to stop and realize just how skewed your vision has become.