It's More Than A New Screen
Clearly replacing the screen of my patio door is not in my skill set! I'm just not “that girl.” So I've been on a search for a year to find someone who has the know how. Friday was my lucky day and Angel came to my rescue. Seriously...his name is Angel...and he is.
My new screen is in place and I am amazed at the difference in clarity, color and brightness as I sit on my sofa looking out into my backyard. I had forgotten the beauty and vibrancy that was right in front of my nose.
Have you ever had the experience when there were subtle changes occurring with something you are looking at every day but it wasn't registering? Those changes become the new normal. The difference wasn't registering. It's only after you change that thing when you realize...wow...what happened. The new lens (screen) I was now looking through brought a whole new dimension to what I was seeing.
So it went with my screen. Over time the sun had slowly darkened the screen and the way I was seeing my back yard became my new normal.
Expanding that experience to life as it is today...I began to wonder if the replacement of screen on a door can make such a dramatic difference in my perspective...how else does this show up? Are the subtle things we see and hear over and over again contributing to forgetting the beauty that is in front of us. The clarity, the brightness, the color of our world, our fellow human beings? Eventually, I wonder, if we aren't mindful will the darkness of sights and words become our new normal.
Just wondering...
Slipstream
With the constant bombardment of negativity we see and read about daily, we have to take the responsibility for our own first aid. These past weeks, I've felt wounded, but rather than bleeding out, I'm attending to my wounds by finding positivity and goodness in my life. I get outside and do yard work; shoveling, digging, and sweating from manual labor, do wonders to clear my mind. It doesn't change Washington, but it brightens the view of my immediate surroundings much as your new screen does for you.
Present Valley
Thank you for your response.
It sounds like finding a way to consciously take care of your wounds through moving your body these past weeks has really been helpful. Probably on so many levels. And something more of us could benefit from going forward as the wounding continues.
Evangel
Just like it's our choice to clean our windows, glasses, lampshades, or windshields to clear our view and see clearly, it's our responsibility to let more light filter through the thick pall of untruths that march forth from the mouths of today's ignominious, false prophets who work hard to sequester more hearts and minds and corrupt them for their own evil gain.
Present Valley
Thank you for responding.
Your reminder that we all have choices is something I want to hold on to.
And to be conscious about those choices.
Wilsons Grave
For too many good people it has become the new normal. It's like they've been swindled into thinking they're on god's track, but they've turned in the opposite direction without seeing it clearly. You follow the crowd and feel safe and then you get lost in that crowd. Darkness will steal a weak man's perspective and replace it with its own. Too bad. We live in tough times.
Present Valley
"Darkness will steal a weak man's perspective and replace it with his own." Those words really got my attention in an Oh my gosh...this probably happens every day kind of way!
I think we are all on to something here about looking at what "our new normal is."
Thank you for taking the time to respond.
Well Street
I appreciate your post because I had a similar experience when I cleaned my window slats last year. I hadn't noticed the slow and subtle darkening of my home brought on by the build-up of dirt, and after the cleaning, the sun's rays not only illuminated my rooms but my energy and spirits too.
Since then, my rooms have lost some of that brightness and the time has come again to clean the slats. It's not a quick job and it hasn't been at the top of my to-do list. However, reading about your experience with the new screen and your renewed enjoyment of your yard has inspired me to get the job done so I can reap the benefits.
Present Valley
I am so happy to be an instrument of inspiration for your upcoming cleaning of slats.
It is so subtle how the darkness creeps in to our lives and goes unnoticed...isn't it.
Thank you for taking the time to respond to my post.