"Every spring is the only spring-a perpetual astonishment." ~Ellis Peters
Today I have been traveling the highways and byways of the Twin Cities traveling to a variety of meetings. As I looked out on the emerging springtime landscape I have found myself exercising a curious behavior. I have been squinting. I have been narrowing my eyes so I can actually see the tiny shadows of green buds that appear minuscule in the grand scheme of tree life. With my eyes functioning in their fullness the green buds are nearly invisible. But if I squint….ohhh …there is the loveliest green. Spring green! In my squinting I am able to allow the emerging spring to find a fullness that is before its time. It feels somehow powerful and magical.
I began thinking about all the things that require us to view them in a way that it is outside our normal way of seeing. Many situations ask us to widen our eyes, to look for a deeper wisdom, a wide-angle lens of perception. At other times our understanding might be best served by view. Many situations require a zoom lens, shutting out all extraneous vision to get to the heart of what matters. Still different situations ask that we close our eyes altogether and allow our other senses to lead us.
I am what is known as a 'visual' person, meaning I take in the majority of information that comes my way through seeing. Others process information through hearing, through the experience of touch and being fully engaged in an activity. As a visual person,how I experience what I see colors how I remember, what I find important, how I encounter other people, basically everything. What is your primary way of doing these things?
Lately I have found myself trying to look at some experiences with different lenses hoping to gain wisdom about how to react, how to answer some nagging questions. Am I too close to see what really needs to be done? Do I need a wider perspective in order to do what is right? What if I try looking at this situation with totally new eyes, as if I had never encountered it before? They are fascinating questions, easier to ask than answer.
In the meantime what is very easy to do is to squint .With my eyes narrowed into smaller versions of their hazel selves, I have the gift of seeing the springtime beauty blossom before me. By the time the buds reach their full potential I will have the blessing of seeing this greening twice. And really, what could be better?