How many times have you found yourself weary of the same humdrum routine and surroundings?
I think we can all identify with this feeling…
especially during this season of quarantine (remember, it’s just a season!) We’ve all probably felt, at some time of another, that we’ve grown tired of looking at the same old paint color on the walls, the same old linen drapes hanging from the same old windows, and the same old boring beige carpet on the same old floors we’ve been “confined” to walking on for almost a year now! At the same time, we may also feel the threat of pure overwhelm at the mere thought of the cost, time, and effort required to actually execute the changes we feel we so desperately need!
Well, let me take a few moments of your time to share what happened to me one Saturday morning just a few weeks ago…
I had been cleaning the house for the last 3 hours and I was exhausted even though I had one more level to conquer. As I was sweeping the wood floors in my living room, I felt the sudden onset of a headache and dizziness. I hadn’t eaten or drank anything that morning and I probably needed to. So I set the broom down and sat on the couch nearest to me. I just needed a quick 5 min. “time-out” and then I’d be ready to jump back in “the game” and finish it off strong. However, as I sat there, I realized that I hadn’t sat on that particular couch in almost 3 years…
It’s one of 3 couches in our living room; a room we obviously don’t utilize often because we mainly carry out our everyday, main-level congregating in the kitchen, family, and dining rooms. Nonetheless, I took a few seconds just to look around. The house looked so different at this view from the underutilized, yet super comfy couch. I wasn’t used to this view; I realized I loved it. I found myself enjoying being at eye-level with the fish tank across the room. I also began to scan the structure of the archway that leads to the family and dining rooms. It looked so much more spacious and grand. Was I still sitting MY house? How could I have taken such beauty and satisfaction with our humble abode for granted? Don’t get me WRONG, I love our home! It’s super cozy and feels just right. And how the Lord blessed us with it is a whole testimony in and of itself (that’s a story for another time)! Nonetheless, I sat there not even realizing that I was smiling, allowing my eyes to trail along the eggshell colored baseboards and the two-toned swiss coffee & café latte colored walls. I couldn’t help but think, “Hubby really did outdo himself with that project!”
As I took in my surroundings, I came to a realization (here’s the great part)….
Sometimes we get bored with our everyday lives and we start feeling that all-too-familiar urge for the need to just CHANGE EVERYTHING! We no longer feel the former joy and excitement from the things in and around us – the newness has long worn off. We’re left yearning for that pseudo satisfaction that comes with replacing the things we may no longer be satisfied with. HOWEVER, continue on with me for a second…
Have you ever gotten rid of something and immediately regretted it? And to make things worse, the “replacement” was everything BUT what you expected? The initial thought and anticipation of it’s arrival triggered all kinds of endorphins that had you feeling beyond excited about “starting fresh”…only to completely fall flat – I mean, a legit “DEAD ON ARRIVAL” situation.
Welp, I’ve honestly been there. However, consider this: Sometimes our feelings and urges lie to us. They cause us to develop “false needs” in order to address our feelings of dissatisfaction and boredom. This fact made me realize that Saturday morning – as I was sitting right there on my “new” old coach – that sometimes the answer is NOT “out with the old and in with the new”. Instead, sometimes we just need to STOP and reevaluate the value and satisfaction that lies in what’s already in front of us and at our disposal.
What I’m really trying to get at is that sometimes, instead of new things, we actually need a new perspective!
I realized that, while sitting on that couch that had always been there, I was given the gift of a new perspective of something that I had honestly become bored with – my home. I realized that I was actually bored with the everyday perspective I had been taking in. Just sitting at a different angle in that living room made me start to “re-appreciate” everything I already have. It’s almost as if I experienced scales falling from my eyes; I could see so much clearly. I don’t need to replace anything! What I actually needed was to reevaluate the beauty in what I already have at my finger tips!
So, I challenge you today to consider the areas of your life that you have become dissatisfied with. What major changes have you been considering as a way of trying to achieve those feelings of excitement and satisfaction again? Well, before you make any changes, I challenge you to sit back and view those things/areas from a different perspective! What about those things fulfilled you and met your needs in the past? Have those things actually lost their initial quality or have you started to lose focus and appreciation for their “former glory”?
If you don’t remember anything else after reading this blog, I pray that you take away the fact that we don’t always need to replace what we already have to feel satisfied again. And we can avoid falling into the trap of regret that comes from realizing the truth in “one man’s trash becomes another man’s treasure”. Sometimes all we need to do is to stop and reevaluate so that we can see the beauty of what’s been there all along.
We don’t always need new things; sometimes what we need is a NEW PERSPECTIVE
How many times have you found yourself weary of the same humdrum routine and surroundings?
I think we can all identify with this feeling…
especially during this season of quarantine (remember, it’s just a season!) We’ve all probably felt, at some time of another, that we’ve grown tired of looking at the same old paint color on the walls, the same old linen drapes hanging from the same old windows, and the same old boring beige carpet on the same old floors we’ve been “confined” to walking on for almost a year now! At the same time, we may also feel the threat of pure overwhelm at the mere thought of the cost, time, and effort required to actually execute the changes we feel we so desperately need!
Well, let me take a few moments of your time to share what happened to me one Saturday morning just a few weeks ago…
I had been cleaning the house for the last 3 hours and I was exhausted even though I had one more level to conquer. As I was sweeping the wood floors in my living room, I felt the sudden onset of a headache and dizziness. I hadn’t eaten or drank anything that morning and I probably needed to. So I set the broom down and sat on the couch nearest to me. I just needed a quick 5 min. “time-out” and then I’d be ready to jump back in “the game” and finish it off strong. However, as I sat there, I realized that I hadn’t sat on that particular couch in almost 3 years…
It’s one of 3 couches in our living room; a room we obviously don’t utilize often because we mainly carry out our everyday, main-level congregating in the kitchen, family, and dining rooms. Nonetheless, I took a few seconds just to look around. The house looked so different at this view from the underutilized, yet super comfy couch. I wasn’t used to this view; I realized I loved it. I found myself enjoying being at eye-level with the fish tank across the room. I also began to scan the structure of the archway that leads to the family and dining rooms. It looked so much more spacious and grand. Was I still sitting MY house? How could I have taken such beauty and satisfaction with our humble abode for granted? Don’t get me WRONG, I love our home! It’s super cozy and feels just right. And how the Lord blessed us with it is a whole testimony in and of itself (that’s a story for another time)! Nonetheless, I sat there not even realizing that I was smiling, allowing my eyes to trail along the eggshell colored baseboards and the two-toned swiss coffee & café latte colored walls. I couldn’t help but think, “Hubby really did outdo himself with that project!”
As I took in my surroundings, I came to a realization (here’s the great part)….
Sometimes we get bored with our everyday lives and we start feeling that all-too-familiar urge for the need to just CHANGE EVERYTHING! We no longer feel the former joy and excitement from the things in and around us – the newness has long worn off. We’re left yearning for that pseudo satisfaction that comes with replacing the things we may no longer be satisfied with. HOWEVER, continue on with me for a second…
Have you ever gotten rid of something and immediately regretted it? And to make things worse, the “replacement” was everything BUT what you expected? The initial thought and anticipation of it’s arrival triggered all kinds of endorphins that had you feeling beyond excited about “starting fresh”…only to completely fall flat – I mean, a legit “DEAD ON ARRIVAL” situation.
Welp, I’ve honestly been there. However, consider this: Sometimes our feelings and urges lie to us. They cause us to develop “false needs” in order to address our feelings of dissatisfaction and boredom. This fact made me realize that Saturday morning – as I was sitting right there on my “new” old coach – that sometimes the answer is NOT “out with the old and in with the new”. Instead, sometimes we just need to STOP and reevaluate the value and satisfaction that lies in what’s already in front of us and at our disposal.
What I’m really trying to get at is that sometimes, instead of new things, we actually need a new perspective!
I realized that, while sitting on that couch that had always been there, I was given the gift of a new perspective of something that I had honestly become bored with – my home. I realized that I was actually bored with the everyday perspective I had been taking in. Just sitting at a different angle in that living room made me start to “re-appreciate” everything I already have. It’s almost as if I experienced scales falling from my eyes; I could see so much clearly. I don’t need to replace anything! What I actually needed was to reevaluate the beauty in what I already have at my finger tips!
So, I challenge you today to consider the areas of your life that you have become dissatisfied with. What major changes have you been considering as a way of trying to achieve those feelings of excitement and satisfaction again? Well, before you make any changes, I challenge you to sit back and view those things/areas from a different perspective! What about those things fulfilled you and met your needs in the past? Have those things actually lost their initial quality or have you started to lose focus and appreciation for their “former glory”?
If you don’t remember anything else after reading this blog, I pray that you take away the fact that we don’t always need to replace what we already have to feel satisfied again. And we can avoid falling into the trap of regret that comes from realizing the truth in “one man’s trash becomes another man’s treasure”. Sometimes all we need to do is to stop and reevaluate so that we can see the beauty of what’s been there all along.
We don’t always need new things; sometimes what we need is a NEW PERSPECTIVE