A Matter of Perspective

Are you a glass half-full or a glass half-empty type of person? It's all just a matter of perspective.

What a "memorable" holiday season this was for me. I love that word "memorable." It can mean anything.

My Christmas vacation included wonderful things like seeing my sisters and their families, talking and visiting with friends I hadn't seen or spoken to in years, traveling to my favorite part of the country and enjoying the snow with my son.

It also included deaths, near deaths, car accidents, stolen cars and break-ups.

I always find it so amazing that life can be filled with so many wonderful, joy-filled things but at the exact same time it can hold unhappy or challenging things.

I've learned, however, that how you choose to see your life is truly a matter of perspective - not circumstance.

Some people choose to see the grey cloud in every situation. Others choose to see only the silver lining. I tend to fall into that latter category most of the time. Although I have days that I lose my positive perspective, I tend to bounce back pretty easily.

I remember hearing about a newswoman who was electrocuted in a van as she was working on a story. She lost her arms and legs because of it, and was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life. Her response: "I'm just happy to still be alive. I'll be able to see my daughters grow up, graduate, get married and have children."

Another person I know once said that if he was ever paralyzed to the point of being wheelchair bound, life would not be worth living and he'd want to someone to assist him with ending his life.

A matter of perspective.

One child gets only three gifts for Christmas when he's used to getting 10. He's disappointed. Another child gets one gift for Christmas when he's used to getting nothing. He's elated.

A matter of perspective.

How we see ourselves, our lives, our circumstances is truly just a matter of perspective.

So, I can look back on this year's holiday and say, "Wow, that sucked. So much tragedy and pain."

Or I can say, "This was one of the best Christmases I ever had! I was where I wanted to be with friends and family I wanted to be with. It was wonderful."

Of course, I will choose that second option. It's who I am. It doesn't mean the challenging things didn't occur or didn't affect me. They did, deeply. But I will find the silver lining around those clouds and put them in perspective.

How was your Christmas? If you hadn't gotten just what you wanted for Christmas, and hadn't been able to spend it with who you wanted to be with, could you still say you had a good Christmas?

Is your overall perspective on your life and circumstances positive or negative? Are you able to keep a positive perspective even through negative circumstances?

Constantly Thinking