Recently I saw this optical illusion. Can you see 16 circles in this image? I have to admit, I didn’t see them at first, but when I did, I was thrilled.
It got me to thinking, . . . what else is right in front of me that I do not see?
When we meet someone, we see what they look like. We notice their face, their height, their hair color, and what they are wearing. I see the body as the package we walk around in. The real value is inside and our body is simply the covering. Our bodies can also be thought of like a car. It’s a tool used to take us from here to there. Without the driver, our mind, it can do nothing on its own.
What is right in front of me that I do not see?
Cindy
Let me tell you about my friend, Cindy. We met in our twenties and our first children were born within months of each other. We went to the same church and worked on a committee together.
Cindy went on vacation to Estes Park, Colorado and when she got home, she had trouble going up a flight of steps without being out of breath. She was diagnosed with primary pulmonary hypertension and needed a lung transplant.
You wouldn’t notice if you saw her, but Cindy was terminally ill. When she got out of her car after parking in a handicap stall, she was often met with scowls, dirty looks, or rude comments from people who thought she wasn’t handicapped. Cindy died in her 30s before receiving a second transplant.
It was right in front of them, but they did not see.
How can we see more?
Just like the optical illusion or Cindy, we can see more when we take the time to take a second look. It takes some effort, and we must focus. Sometimes we need to see things from a different angle to see them clearly.
Why don’t we see? Because we’re so often in a hurry and thinking about other things. We can get lazy and make assumptions about what we see instead of pausing to focus on what is right in front of us. Another reason is that we base our observations solely on our own experiences. Instead of being open to different explanations, we stick to our own limited perspective.
Take Notice
What is right in front of me, with the people I come in contact with, that I don’t see? It could be an illness, like with my friend, Cindy. A co-worker may be suffering a migraine or achy joints and I don’t notice because I’m preoccupied. It could be a person’s lack of energy because of a bad night’s sleep or difficulties at home. It could be slow movements from drinking too much alcohol or simply aging.
How can we see what’s right in front of us? Take the time to take a second look. Focus. Don’t make easy assumptions and discover the truth about what you see.
Take the time and effort. It’s worth it.
How can you observe others in a new way, so you see what is right in front of you?