Fresh Eyes

Every so often I get in a bit of a slump. The same old - same old starts to get a little too redundant, and I begin feeling a restlessness within. That's something I have to battle, not always... just now and then. I know it's not good for me to dwell in the "what-ifs" or the "should have done-s." Today takes care only of itself, after all.

Sometimes a slump can morph into discontent if I feed it enough. I figure a change of pace is what I need. A change of pace CAN be just what the doctor ordered, and a certain amount of discontent often spurs us on to greater things. That's not really what I'm talking about here, though. I'm speaking more specifically about allowing those feelings to cloud the blessings I have, to obscure the reality of all the good in my life.

I was going through my stack of books the other day, looking to purge some from my overflowing shelf. This always gets me into trouble because it's such a time killer for me. I, of course, have to look them all through to make sure I don't want to keep a certain volume. I start looking... then reading. When I move from standing to sitting, it's all over; I've lost the morning! Anyway, in one of the old books I've had for at least thirty years, I came across this quote: "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes." - Marcel Proust

Wow, did that ever speak to me! Maybe I don't need a change of pace after all. Perhaps all that is needed is a fresh perspective. Dwelling less on what I think I'm missing and more on what I actually have always makes me a happier, more grateful... more content person.

I'm going to shift gears here just a bit, but I hope the tie-in will be relevant.

One of the gals I follow on Instagram was doing a home tour a week or so ago, but this wasn't the typical show-and-tell. Instead of a peek into the lovely home she has, she gave a tour of everything that still needed to be done. She had a list, and highlighted, every space in her house that needed improving and what would be done to make what they had... better. Her home is actually beautiful, but you wouldn't have guessed it from that video.

Fresh eyes are a gift. They serve to keep discontent at bay.

Eden may evade us this side of heaven, but we can thoroughly rejoice in the pansies that bloom at our feet. A sunrise is no less spectacular viewed from the end of our street as it is from the top of a mountain. We don't need new landscapes; we simply need new eyes to see the beauty and the blessings that exist in the here and now... right at our fingertips.

Another little story about the "Casita," if you will permit.

Our family has group messaging on Facebook. I've taken to sharing little snapshots of what I love about this wee house of ours. The kids remember this place as their grandparents' home. Mark and Laura also remember it as the home they lived in for seven years after my parents passed away, and where they brought their first child home from the hospital. Four generations in all have inhabited this space at one time or another. Though I was sad to leave the Abiso house, moving here was the right thing to do... the smart thing to do. I still miss the old place sometimes, to be truthful, but there is much here to be thankful for. I've grown into this space, and I acknowledge its blessing. These little shared "snapshots" keep me grateful for what I have.

If and when I begin to slide down that rabbit hole of "what-ifs' and "should have done-s"... even as it pertains to something as simple and basic as my home, I think I'll take the advice from that quote. I'll smile at the sunbeam that illuminates our vintage bathroom just so. I'll take note of the view from my kitchen window of sheets dancing in the breeze. I'll look at the pictures of family on the wall opposite me when I sit at the dining table to eat, and thank God for the blessing of each and every one of them.

Fresh eyes are a gift because they help us recognize and acknowlegde the gifts of God, for when I look with fresh eyes at all that surrounds me... that slump, that discontent... fades into nothingness. I am able to truly SEE and appreciate the abundant life He has given me.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."- Proverbs 3:5,6