365 Days in Aspen

Perceptions

perspective-5Yesterday's post was about "you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone." Today I'm talking about how our perceptions can delude us. 

I was on a familiar walk to the hospital/doctor's office to get my blood levels checked and saw another paraglider as I crossed the bridge. While I've seen them before, this was by far the closest vision I'd had. I felt like I could wave and the pilot could see me! Or perhaps land on top of me. So close! 

Yet then the pictures come back and he's just a little spec in the sky. Yes, I could have zoomed in to make the image bigger, but that wasn't the point. The point is, as our rear-view mirrors suggest, "Objects are closer than they appear." 

It's true with our perspective of our life, too. Some things (and issues) seem much bigger than they really are. We "blow them out of proportion," in much the same way as I thought about the parasailer. Optical illusions turn into psychological illusions, maximizing size and importance. 

The perfect song (which came on my MP3 player just minutes later) sums it up… 

"You may find yourself living in a shotgun shack. You may find yourself in another part of the world…"

And the version from the classic movie "Down and Out in Beverly Hills"

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