Sometimes, we have to begin again and look at a situation from a totally different perspective; we may need to start on a fresh page, because a new outlook changes the picture we see.
I bought an artificial Christmas tree and we assembled it on the front porch to get a good look at it. Usually, we have a real tree, but this year we will be out of town just before Christmas, and an artificial tree makes sense.
Oddly, this nine-foot tree Christmas tree standing on my front porch has been such an element of fun. We set it up early in the week, and somehow, we got busy and left it there a few days. I told my husband that we are the only people in town with a Christmas tree on the front porch before Halloween!
Of course, we are going to take it down, and it is partially hidden behind the tall bushes in front of the porch. The thing is, I gained a new perspective with that tree positioned in such an unexpected place, and at an unexpected time.
I open the front door, and there is this towering Christmas tree beside the pumpkins. It clearly does not belong season-wise, and yet the presence of this tree on the porch has been so inviting. The weather has turned cold and brisk, and the unadorned tree looks nice in the natural landscape.
Often, in order to see something in a brand-new way, we have to shift the elements around. I have never set a Christmas tree up on the front porch, but it would be beautiful there. Who knew? I have been in the same house for almost thirty years, but I never tried decorating the porch with a full-size tree.
So many things in life look different depending on how we choose to see them. Like the furnishings in our homes, we can move a heavy ‘arm chair’ in our heads that clutters our thoughts. We could replace that ‘negative thought’ with an outdoor rocker on the porch, the sweet smell of wood smoke rising up on a fall morning.
There is much in life that we cannot change, but we can often change how we react to what is happening around us. Many times, the actual view is up to us. I was reminded of this recently when I bought a beautiful photograph from a local artist on a note card.
Beneath a breathtaking photograph of the sun setting over the ocean, are the words of Henry David Thoreau: “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” How true this is, and what a powerful tool for changing the way we live our lives.
