It's all about perspective...are you more full than empty?

I am reminded on a daily basis, that our perception of all things can and will, contribute to our well being, and how we view the world around us. We can either look at everything as a whole and make general statements, or bring our prospective closer, and focus more on the microcosm of the life we lead. I have been known to make some pretty broad observations, but most of the time, I tend to concentrate on the little things that affect each day.

After a very hectic week, I am slowly getting back to my quiet simple daily rituals, always appreciating the "norm" as opposed to what is often referred to as life's little roadblocks. At this time, I won't go into any details regarding the last four days, suffice to say, I love my normal life and am more than happy to have it back.

That being said, here it is almost 4 am in the morning (having woken up at my normal 3 am) and I am once again preparing to pack my suitcase and hit the road with Roger on our way to Miami. It's that time of the year, when we celebrate our anniversary and his birthday on board a cruise ship. Two days ago, someone made the comment that we cruise all the time, which is not exactly the case, but is certainly something I would hope to be accused of at some point further down the rode. In reality, during the last 5 months, I have been on board a ship 3 times, however, this is not really normal for us, and certainly won't be continued in the upcoming 5 months. With our ever changing circumstances, this just happens to be the way things played out for us in 2010 moving into 2011....what the remainder of the year holds for Roger and I, is as much a mystery to me as it is to anyone else.

Getting back to the subject at hand, while running a few errands last evening, I happened to find myself speaking with a lovely woman, who had been unknown to me until the moment we struck up a conversation. I thoroughly enjoy talking to strangers in any manner of situations, and she seemed to welcome the opportunity to chat. She was a bit saddened by her circumstances, being alone on a Friday night and made a few comments relating to her deceased husband, and how much she missed having him in her life. Obviously, I am unable to understand her grief on the level of such a great loss, to lose one's spouse is a life-altering and devastating experience. I was however, able to relate to the absence of a loved one in my life and immediately felt the need to offer some words of comfort. To her, the cup was half empty...and rightly so...or maybe not???

In almost every situation, we can choose to see from whichever perspective we want, it's entirely up to us as individuals, how we actually view the world. Our freedom of choice is not limited to which lever we pull in the voting booth, or how we feel about the right to life...it's prevalent in every aspect of our lives, no matter how insignificant the situation may appear to be. No one can deny, that this is all about our perceptions...each decision we make and every view we take, affects how we will eventually cope with whatever life has to throw at us.

I must continually remind myself of all the good I have encountered along this journey, and remember the important lessons that I learn each day. If you keep going back for more, your glass will never be half empty...there is always the potential for it to be half full...and sometimes, when you least expect it, you might even find it running over. It's all about each person's perspective...please try to keep your view towards the horizon, you never know when you'll be taking that next sip from the bottomless cup of life!