Perspective

Dan was the bravest guy I knew. Being around Dan was like living in an Indiana Jones movie. Dan was all go, go go! He scanned the horizon, and then made a bee-line for his destination.


Crossing the street with Dan was a harrowing experience. If Dan wanted to be on the other side of the street, he simply charged out into traffic and headed for the other side. That used to scare the daylights out of me.

Then one day Dan started complaining of headaches. It was suggested to him that he ought to see an eye doctor. He did, and it was determined that Dan needed eyeglasses. That would fix his headaches.

A week later Dan received the call that the glasses were ready and he could return to the doctor’s office to pick them up.
I went with him that day. We took a taxi downtown. As we crossed the street to the doctor’s office, once again, Dan charged across the traffic as if life meant nothing to him. Maybe it wasn’t that. Maybe he had a super charged faith that the traffic would make way for him and that life itself would always cooperate for his benefit. Whatever it was, we made it safely across the street to the doctor’s office.
I waited for Dan to have the eyeglasses fitted.
Nice looking glasses.

As we left the doctor’s office we headed for the street. We were about to cross when Dan grabbed me by the shoulder.
“Look out! Be careful! Look at those cars coming!”
Dan’s perspective had changed.

Such a simple thing. New glasses. But although it sounds funny, and although I am telling this story as a humorous anecdote, the difference in Dan’s perspective changed his behavior completely.

The way we face challenges, the future, relationships, and everything else, is mostly influenced by our perspective.
If we’re brave, or timid, or excited or let down, maybe it’s because we don’t have all the facts yet.

Maybe that’s not a bad thing. Sometimes a new perspective can change everything, and sometimes can even save our life.