what is your ending?

lately,
i have been fascinated by perspective.

there are no facts, only interpretations.

really,
we were all born into a world that had already started.
we're living in on someone else's land,
breathing someone else's air,
reading books that had been read before,
eating food that was around long before we were,
and swimming in seas older than we can imagine.

we're living a secondhand life.

we come into this world to see newness,
to learn, to breathe, to exist in a world that many have already left behind...

but that's the beauty of it all.

we create our world.
we create our lives, our dreams.
we control our thoughts and hopes and fears and wishes.

we take our first steps on land that many had tread prior to us.

we literally control everything.
what we see depends on what we're looking for.

if you search for love,
you will find it.
if you look for pain,
you will find it.
if you look for something to hurt your feelings,
there it will be.
if you look for... and, i dislike this word... "drama",
you will surely find it.

if you look for newness,
for fresh earth,
for clean air,
for beautiful sunshine,
for loving hands,
you will find it.

i think the written word is such a marvelous example of this.
in fact,
the other day i experienced firsthand
what perspective does for a person.
on facebook.
let's just say it was a saddening experience.

these sentences,
can be read in so many different ways:
"but, i love you."
"we are not friends."
"i don't know him."
"let's see where this is going."
"i can't talk right now."

you can read them looking for trouble,
or simply as statements.

the way you read sentences that allow you to insert tone speaks volumes about your general perspective.

the other day,
someone mentioned that a stranger had approached them at school and complimented their outfit.
the speaker defined this as "creepy", since she didn't know the girl,
whereas the girl was simply spreading kindness to a stranger.
it confused the living daylights out of me.

you have the complete ability to choose your reactions.

i've told this story many times,
but here we go again.

there are two boys playing on the beach,
collecting seashells and chasing each other.
a huge wave sneaks up on them and knocks them down.
they are hurt, with sand in their suits and their shells have spilled everywhere.
the boys react instantly:
one boy begins to cry, cursing the sea for hurting him.
the other begins to laugh at the surprise and helps the other boy up.

the exact same wave. the same experience. two perspectives.

i see this all the time when i ask people what scares them.
many people choose not to drive, to avoid the deep end, to steer clear of fires,
because they have been burned in the past, they experienced an accident, they are frightened because of what they have witnessed.

they choose to keep these things out of their lives.

people have these scars all over their bodies,
all over their souls.
don't let it stop you from moving.
don't let it dampen your sense of adventure.
don't let these things stop you.
don't let anything stop you!

don't let a bad day make you think you have a bad
relationship,
job,
class,
friendship,
life.

admittedly,
i have been entirely too ungrateful for everything.

i see fat on my thighs instead of two capable legs that allow me to walk, run, and dance.
i see imperfections in my handwriting instead of seeing a steady hand able to write.
i focus on how little sleep i get or how i am allergic to so many foods instead of the blessings of a bed, food, and shelter.

i put up dams in my river instead of letting water flow under the bridge and just enjoying the stream.

you choose happiness.
you choose sadness.
you choose your strength.
you choose your life.

you choose your life. 


will it be beautiful?

---

{print by me. i kinda love it}