Relaxing
at the hotel room, Terry and I were watching television. The movie
was flowing along, and then hit a scene where a main character
was off to the side.
And
that’s when we saw it.
In
his ear.
A
couple of burned-out spots that were leaving small white dots.
We
had been watching the movie for roughly thirty minutes but hadn’t
seen this issue before. And now, we couldn’t stop seeing it.
~ ~
~ ~ ~
I
was doing some work in our kitchen. We had put up a couple of
new cabinets, the ceiling had a bit of an uneven wave in the plastering,
and we had decided to install a bit of molding along the edge
to cover the gap.
While
putting it into place, there were a few spots where I had to end
one piece of molding and begin with a new one. For the first few
days after putting it in place, all we could see when walking
into the kitchen was one seam where the two pieces met.
~ ~
~ ~ ~
Logos.
Toyota
includes each letter from the company name in the stylized oval.
FedEx
and the famous hidden arrow.
Amazon
has everything, from a to z.
~ ~
~ ~ ~
For
a variety of reasons, there seem to be all sorts of things out
there that we simply don’t see from day to day. And then, once
we become aware of them, for a time we simply can’t not see them.
A
long time ago, I pieced together a couple of lessons I had learned
into what I approach as the twenty-four-hour buffer. Basic idea
is, with very few exceptions, there is nothing you can do right
now that wouldn’t be better done tomorrow.
Now,
yes, exceptions. Putting off mowing the lawn on today’s sunny
Saturday could force you to look out the window at a downpour
on Sunday. And there are limited-time moments where you actually
do have all the information you need to make a sound decision
immediately. I’m also not endorsing procrastination when it comes
to regular work. So, yes, exceptions are there.
But
overall, if you think about it, you might be stunned at how a
chance to step back for a moment adjusts your perspective and
possibly alters your entire reaction to something. Especially
when the issue is new and unfamiliar to you.
Take
the television idea. Have you ever been watching a show, spotted
something on the screen and panicked thinking your television
was breaking… only to realize a few minutes later that it had
something to do with the camera being used? Wasn’t your TV. You’re
good.
And
the molding? After a few weeks, we stopped talking about it. It
was fine. In the newness and need for a fix, we had just made
ourselves incredibly aware of it.
The
passage of time… more information… a greater sample size… it solidifies
perspective, and often in unexpected ways.
Hypersensitive
one moment, numb and unresponsive the next.
Just
give it time. (But seriously, mow the lawn. It’s going to rain.)