Changing Perspectives

As a part of mindfulness, which to me means staying focused on the moment in order to better appreciate the small things in life, I like to take photographs. This can be very therapeutic and allows us to have a single focus for brief moments throughout the day. It can also help us to catalogue memories. This can be effective to slow down the busy day and reminds us that there is beauty and goodness everywhere if we keep our eyes open and look for it; an endless treasure hunt, if you will. I truly believe now, in the midst of a pandemic, it is more important than ever to do so.

I am very much an amateur photographer, but like everyone these days, since I usually have a camera in hand, I take a lot of photos. The interesting thing about photography, something people seem to know intuitively, is that changing the camera angle, even by just a few degrees, the photo will be very different based on the light at that moment and the perspective. In other words, changing the perspective, even slightly, will change the outcome; there couldn’t possibly be a better metaphor for life.

Whatever you would like to call it, the winter blahs, or the pandemic blues, we are all feeling some anxiety about the present and the future. Over the past year, there are several terms that we are using more than ever before; social distancing, isolation, quarantine, and pandemic fatigue to name a few. The latter one, pandemic fatigue is the one I would like to focus on. This refers to the fact that we are all feeling some sort of stress because we’ve had to make major changes to our lifestyle, and, simply put, we are tired of it. So, how can we change that?

Well, since we cannot really change the world around us, we must try to somehow change ourselves. We need to change our perspective. If you’ve been cooped up at home all day, go for a walk in the sunshine…or rain. Perhaps we can set some aims for the walk. What things do we observe? What sounds do we hear? How many floors have been added to the building that is under construction? The possibilities are endless. The point is, by keeping our eyes open to new things, new thoughts are stimulated, and in doing so, new perspectives can be enjoyed. Let me end with a quote from the 13th century poet, Rumi. “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”

Wishing you perfect health and happiness, always.

Mark Tofflemire

Tailor Made Inc.