Perceptions

     Most weekday mornings on my way to work I listen to one particular station on the radio.  It's a country station and usually plays good mix of music and the morning host is not too annoying.  I drive about 45 minutes to work so it gives me a lot of time to think and ponder what it happening in my life or for that day.  There is some saying about idle hands are the devils playground.  We will not worry about that now! :-) 

     Everyday about the same time there is a segment that comes on called perceptions. It is by the minister of  a Methodist Church in the area.  The pasture is a woman and is very well spoken.  She hosts this segment and calls it perceptions.  She takes everyday scenarios, situations or peoples actions and provides a mini lesson.  It can be about a story or a tall tale even.  She is able to get her audience and even me, to think about situations and people in different ways.  

     I think what I like best about these lessons is that she brings in religion to the perceptions in a number of the discussions and uses it as a tool as to how you should live your life.  This is a way that I have always viewed God and my religion. It's not a sermon every morning. It is a way to hopefully help people see situations from another angle.  

     Another item I like most about this message is, it always finds an upside to the situation. It does not leave you one a down note. It also talks about learning something from every situation.  There are lessons in life all around us every day.  We choose though, whether or not to learn from those lessons.  We as humans and especially adults may not always what we learn about ourselves. The real test in my book is how do we react to those situations.  Do we make a turn for the better, or do we not grasp the concept at all and just go on with life.  

     Every person I have met, or taken the time to get to know has not been a waste.  I have learned something from every person that I encounter.  It might be a reminder of lessons from life's past, still a lesson to remember.  What happens in our lives we are responsible for our own destiny and actions.  

     The next item that I particularly like about this perceptions message is that I am reminded daily that there are 2 sides to every story. No matter what we hear or say there is always another persons view.  Deciding which side is correct is not always an easy task. Most of the time it takes combining both sides to get a true picture of what is going on or what happened.  

     When you go through your life and continually want to blame others or not accept responsibility for your actions, then you might not have a good perception on life.  I know that I am not perfect. That is one trait I have never claimed to posse.  As I get older, I do not seek approval of others, I do not seek great wealth, I do not seek acceptance of my peers.  I am more of a person who, knows who his friends are, knows who loves and cares for him, knows what is important in life, and knows what he does not want in life.  

     There is some proverb that talks about past present and future that is much better then what I compiled here.  As I see life, the past is behind us and should be left there, the future is unknown and we can only dream about it, the present is a gift that we have right now and should always cherish, that is why it is called a present.  

     Remember your perception is important.  It's also important to remember that other people have their own perceptions and we must always to thine own self be true. 

Miracles happen everyday, change your perception of what a miracle is and you'll see them all around you.
Jon Bon Jovi 
(Just because I LOVE Jon Bon Jovi!)