Sometimes perspective is everything. You know, how you see something, how it appears to you when you look at it? Perception is not always reality. Recently I saw a photo that reminded me of this. Actually, it was two photos- both from April 2018. The first is of Prince William flipping off the press after the birth of his son, Prince Louis. The second is of Prince William holding up three fingers. You can view them here. In actuality, both photos are of the same moment, one just happens to be from a different perspective.
I’ve had a hard lesson in this over the past week. I have been dealing with some issues in my life that are less than pleasant. In all honesty, they are things that have left me quite miserable and depressed. I’ve never been one to battle with depression, not even when my late husband passed away. But, this winter I’ve really been dealing with it. I know what the issues are, and sadly they are not things that I can control. Anyway, not only have I been miserable and depressed, but I’ve been angry and lashing out at the person who could do something about it. Earlier this week I was almost at the point of breakdown from extreme frustration and hatred.
And that’s when it hit me. Maybe I am to blame. Wait, what? I’m not the cause of my misery. I can’t control the situation that is making me feel this way. It’s not my fault. But, maybe it is. No, I can’t control or change the situation, but I can control how I react to it. I don’t have to let it get me bitter. I don’t have to let it make me angry. And over the past few days I’ve been trying to do just that and change my attitude. I can’t change my situation, and the person who can change the situation has some issues that they are in need of working through. Perhaps if I’m more patient and understanding this person will be more likely to make the necessary changes in their life. Maybe not. But, my whining and nagging about it will not make things any better.
Sometimes we are our own worst enemies. Our ego gets in the way and we focus on ourselves and our own point of view. But, when the ego is in control we are rarely seeing things as they truly are. I am learning that when I feel slighted and wronged I need to act by taking a step back and getting my ego out of the way before I react and things go sour.
