The Looking Glass
What Filters Your View?
Introduction
Perspective matters. In a complex world of quickly shifting circumstances, attention can only be zoomed in on a tiny part. Our perspective is like a looking glass, providing focus and clarity. Thank you for joining me in this issue of The Adventure of Reflection as I ponder what filters our perspective.
A Minute of Motivation
Challenging Days
How is your day going? Are you having a “good” day or a “bad” day?
There really are not good days and bad days – it’s your attitude about each day that makes it “good” or “bad.” You determine if today, and every day, is a day of opportunity or one of despair.
Some days are easy days, because most things go as you had hoped they would. And then there are challenging days, when things don’t go according to your expectations. It’s easy to be cheerful on easy days. It’s challenging to be cheerful on challenging days.
Anyone can have a good attitude when things are going well. The trust test of one’s attitude are those days when everything seems to fall apart or go “wrong.”
Dare to have a good attitude every day. Look for good in every situation. Disappointment can be a doorway to opportunity.
Note. Originally published in 1992 as part of a collection of inspirational messages for college freshmen. Re-published here because of the “looking glass” of one’s attitude through which to view each day.
Enjoy Life More
Through Mom’s Eyes
The month of May includes a day to celebrate mothers. This annual reminder prompts each of us to think about our moms, and, if they are still alive, to send something special their way. For me, the month of May is also a time to remember the month of my mom’s departure, now five years ago. She left this life in the wee hours of the morning on June 1st, 2018.
What didn’t leave when she did was the way I see things because of how she looked at them. In 2012, my husband, myself, and my parents went to Yellowstone. As my mom struggled to walk because of back pain, she often stopped to admire the wildflowers along the path. I saw the wildflowers because she saw them. And I still see them. I can now notice and correctly identify dozens of wildflowers. I hadn’t even seen wildflowers until she stopped to admire them. This is a picture of some of the flowers she noticed.
My mom also noticed little children. She loved to talk with any child she might encounter in life’s path. I have beautiful memories of her stopping to notice and chat with children.
She also could see uses for useless things. What many would consider trash she would see as something that might be used again. For example, sturdy plastic forks should be washed, saved, and used again. Necessity might be the mother of invention, but my mother was the one who saved things so that another use could be invented. A child of the depression, my mom knew the value of things, and she taught me to see that value, too.
What did your mother notice? If she’s still with you, think about what your mother notices. A mother’s journey, driven by a mother’s heart, includes a special looking glass through which she navigates. My mom’s looking glass brought wildflowers, children, and usefulness into focus. Enjoy life more by pondering, and appreciating, your mother’s looking glass.
Faith Corner
Hagar said, “You are the God who sees me.” (see Genesis 16:13)
What is the filter through which God sees the world? What does He notice when surveying the vast details of His creation? There are two places in the Bible upon which I will base my answer to these questions. First, is the story of Hagar in the Old Testament. Rejected by family and feeling isolated and unwanted, an angel of the Lord came to her and brought words of special encouragement. Hagar responded by naming God, “the God who sees me.”
The second source for my answer to these questions comes from the example of Jesus as He walked the earth in human form. Jesus noticed people, especially those who were lost or hurting. He responded by offering healing and words of encouragement. The first four books of the New Testament are full of specific examples (see Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).
What is the filter through which God sees the world? What does He notice when surveying the vast details of His creation? He sees people. He sees each person. He sees every person. He sees the insignificant. He sees the hurting. He sees the lonely. He sees you. He sees me.
Dear Lord, thank You for being the God who sees me. I cannot comprehend how You can see each of the nearly eight billion people on the planet now. Thank You for seeing me when I feel overlooked. Thank You for seeing me when I am lonely or hurting. Help me trust You not only to see me at all times, but also to provide all that I need. Amen.
Poetry Pause
The Looking Glass
Telescopes,
Microscopes, and
Eyeglasses;
Each a looking glass
Through which to see.
Arrogance,
Injury, and
Experience;
Each a looking glass
Through which we see.
Humility,
Forgiveness, and
Compassion;
Each a looking glass
Through which to see.
When I look at you
What filters my perspective?
What is my looking glass?
By Cindy MacGregor, May 11, 2023
Note. This is just a bit of free association about perspective and what influences the way we see others.
Old Mom to Young Mom
Teaching Children to See
In a world of endless distractions, what are you teaching the children in your world to see? They are learning to notice what you notice. As you travel through each day, with a dizzying array of stimuli on either side of your path, what causes you to pause and focus? What are you teaching children in your world to notice because of what captures your attention?
Some adults have “inspector eyes” – they notice every imperfection, every flaw, every dust bunny, and all that is out of place or not “right.” Though useful as a profession, “inspector eyes” can teach children to notice what is “wrong” and not what is “good” or “right.”
Some adults have “judgment eyes” – they notice people and the “wrong” ways they act or dress. I regret that my eyes are often prone to judgment; last week I was judging a young man standing outside of the building into which I was going. Then he opened the door for me, and I was internally convicted of my judgment of him.
Some adults are absorbed in their devices. I often see parents, their children nearby, but the parents, barely aware, are only focused on little screens. What are the children learning from what absorbs their parents’ focus?
Children notice things like birds, butterflies, rocks, and sticks. As an old mom to young parents, I encourage you to see the world through your child’s eyes, AND to become more aware of what your children are being taught to notice through your eyes. What “looking glass” are you teaching the children in your world to use?
Dear Dr. Mac
Dear Dr. Mac,
[In response to the newsletter on anger] I, too, was spanked for talking. Isn’t it fun to get paid for talking in class now? I love that and never really considered it that way.
[Signed] Marci
Hi Marci,
Thanks for your comment! I wonder how many other teachers were spanked as children for talking in class? What was a liability is now an asset.
[signed] Dr. Mac
Dear readers,
You can find all my previous posts, including the one on anger, to which Marci wrote, at https://cindymacgregor.substack.com/archive
I have had several people reach out to me about the topic of anger in response to last week’s post. I have several more issues planned on the topic!
If you would like to share your thoughts, you can do so in two ways. First, you can leave a comment (see box below). Second, you can send an email to: drcjmacgregor@outlook.com; I will respond via email, and, with your permission, may share our dialogue with future readers. I love to hear from you!