Which Side Way Up? A Lesson in Perspective

Feb 3, 2013 by admin

I live downtown. In my neighborhood it is far more common to hear the sound of sirens, late night (or early morning, depending upon your perspective) drunken yelling, or the ratta tat tat of construction than it is the call of a seagull or the chirping of a robin. You can imagine my surprise then as I stood below a winter-bare tree and heard the serenade of small birds over head. 

I looked up to find a handful of birdies hopping from one barren branch to another, and doing things I don’t think I’ve ever seen birds do. In their rummaging the leafless and seemingly lifeless tree for whatever goods it might have, they hung themselves upside down, defying gravity with the tight grip of their tiny feet as they investigated every nook, cranny, and possibility for any evidence of a spring that is surely on the way. Gray skies be damned.

Upside down.

A change in perspective. A shift in perception.

Maybe the blessings in our lives are not as obvious as a summertime-tree, bloated with leaves that give enough cool shade for afternoon naps snuggled with our lovers on red and white quilts or that have branches brimming with so much fruits that even the bees have bulging bellies … if such a thing is possible.  Maybe right now things look rigid and worn by a prolonged winter that refuses to relinquish its blustering winds and snapping cold. But, that’s just for now because seasons change. 

They always have.

They always will.

So keep looking for the change; for your change.

High. Low. Up. Down. Upside down.

The signs of transition—when green is the new brown and warmth is the wear—are all around. Perhaps, we just need to change our point of view, and hang upside down. If nothing else, the world is a bit more interesting that way.

Peace and Blessings,

Nicole