Perception Problem

Toasty,  Tasty, or Terrible

Perception is a funny thing, isn't it?  What's one person's trash is another person's treasure as they say.   Perception can taint how we feel about all kinds of things.  We develop how we view the world widely by experiences.  But those experiences are so personal that they cannot possible be true across the board.  

Case in point:  My son had three friends over.  They decided to use the toaster for some English muffins.  One friend thought toast sounded better.  His method of toasting was a variation on the usual.  He would put the bread in the slot, set the time once, remove the bread after the timer was up, flip the bread and put it back in the slot, then set the timer once more.  This was his tried-and-true method of "perfect" toast.  My toaster is a current version that toasts on both sides simultaneously.  Never have I needed to flip anything to ensure that both sides got the same, equal treatment.  In fact, my toaster even has a bagel setting which toasts only the inside, exposed part of the bagel.  That's a particular setting for one kind of method and it's not widely used.  I'd say we use the traditional setting much more often.  Yet, never have I used the flip method.  

The friend's toasting concept came from a family member that has always done it this way and passed down her knowledge to the subsequent generations.  This idea had been used with success for generations now.  His knowledge and view on this method had come from personal experience.  

The three friends didn't agree so much with the method nor the outcome.  When polled, three out of four agreed the toast was burnt.  One person cited he had to use his back teeth just to bite through the blackened crust.  Others looked at it and assumed it wouldn't taste good so they wouldn't even try it.  The culinary concoction ended up being shunned most likely out of the perception that the technique wasn't widely used and, therefore, the result would not be the conventional result -- it wouldn't taste good. I took a poll of those involved, me included.  Two of us found it appetizing while three did not.  Majority ruled, the toast was a thumbs down.  Now when I look at this picture (which is the actual toast in question), and I see a delicious looking, quite edible piece of toast.  I think I could have convinced everyone to try it and, I will even venture to guess, they may have liked it.  Persuasion can be a powerful thing.  The toast was eaten by it's maker, so I didn't get to try to convert the opposition.

So it goes with situations and people, too.  By pure notion, we can miss out on so much because we rule it out before we have evidence to backup our feelings or have anecdotal affirmation.  We can declare some toasty (tolerable), tasty (exemplary or satisfactory), or terrible (objectionable or undesirable).  Have you ever deemed something unworthy, not to your liking, invaluable or waste of your time?  Did you decide that because of your own experience, or did you let the influence of someone or something else help make the decision?  Did you ever use intuition because you had a sense about a person or situation?  Did you ever change your mind from your initial judgement?

Let me encourage you to not judge before you have involvement.  Don't miss out on a new person or event because of your past (in)experience.  You might have just stumbled upon something wonderful that will change your perception -- for the better!  Keep working toward the goal of being Beyond Blesssed!

  

Puppy Perspective

Life Made Simpler

It's been a few days since I posted last.  Just when I was thinking my life was pretty laid-back and fairly uneventful, a change was coming and I was just "resting up" as I came to find out.

For many of us, life wouldn't be the same without a pet.  Whether it's big or small, our little animal friends can really add another dimension to our lives.  In our family, we have had dogs nearly our whole married life.  We've had cats and fish, too, but that "season" is over.  A rabbit entered into the mix almost two years ago.  It's cute and soft, even fairly easy to maintain, but, in my humble opinion, it's not quite like a dog.  Dogs add companionship, unparalleled love, and interaction that can be almost better than human.  They listen to your stories, they don't ask questions, and they always have time for you.

This last year, we had to put down our beloved dog, Lucky.  He was a beautiful dog in all ways!  He wanted nothing more than to be near you, to play here and there, walk by your side, and greet everyone as they came into our home.  Just a young puppy when we adopted him from a rescue shelter, he stole our hearts.  His needs were small and basic -- food, bathroom time, playtime, and love -- most of all.  As with all dogs, it's a lifetime commitment for both the animal and owner(s).  It's a building of a special bond and relationship that can't be compared to much else.  Our hearts were filled with so much love from what he gave us.  Then in the end, we each experienced a pain that was unmatched as we had to say goodbye.  He really made me think how simple things were and how it didn't have to be very complicated.  Just love.  That's it.  Just love.

Each member of the family handled it differently.  Some went on seemingly unfazed; others tried to busy themselves to shelter their hearts from the pain of the loss.  Yet others showed and felt the pain palpably.  The latter was me, totally and completely.  Honestly, I was such a wreck after that.  I'm a wear-your-heart-on-your-sleeve kind of girl.  I kept telling everyone around me, hoping to convince myself, that I was done with dogs.  Too much heartbreak, too hard to start over.

Apparently, there was another plan that I wasn't aware of.  Months went by and eventually talk of having another dog was a topic of conversation more and more often.  I felt the pain in my heart just at the thought of starting over again, moving on, and allowing myself to fall in love once more.  And, it wasn't so simple.  I kept being reminded of that honest, unimpeded, unrestrained love that Lucky had given to each of us, individually and fully.  How could I tell my heart to not want for that again?  How could I look my children in the eye and deny them of that chance to bond again?  How could I tell my husband not to give this another try and help him heal from the previous loss he quietly felt so deeply?

Need I tell you that through many tears, many smiles, many hopes of finding just the right one, I went on a mission to fill that part of our family again that had been devoid for months.  My pledge to myself was to not get caught up in this, to be honest.  It was going to take a very specific pet to step in and get that spot.  And, the requirements were very specific.  That "you know it's 'the' one" kind of feeling?  That's was I was looking for.

Much to my surprise, there were many contenders.  Well, really, thousands of dogs to sift through, each looking for their forever home.  The stories were emotional and hard to just gloss over.  I prayed that God would help me -- to give me wisdom and discernment, to not be afraid of opening my heart again, to just help in anyway He would.  After trying more than several times and being declined for what seemed to me to be pretty surprisingly pathetic reasons, I was ready to give up.  Then one night, late into the wee hours, I found a litter of the cutest puppies.  After showing my husband, the choice became quite clear.  We were headed toward filling that spot!  Our hearts were tentative, our emotions were raw, our minds were hopeful.

God had "reserved" just the right one for us!  His name is Backes Bear, "Backes" for short.  He's named after David Backes, #42 of the St. Louis Blues hockey organization.  David Backes is a daunting, respected player on the ice.  Off the ice, he is all about the animals and is involved in a local charity, Athletes For Animals.  We felt we'd found a befitting name for our beloved new pet.  Our Backes is a Great Pyrenees/German Shepard mix.  He looks like a fuzzy German Shepard.  He's beautiful!!!  He has such a great disposition and fits just right into our family.  We adopted him Saturday at the age of 8 1/2 weeks.  We couldn't be happier!

Backes really looks at life in a manner worth noting, which is why I've devoted an entire post to him.  With those eyes, he looks for trust.  With the wag of his tail, he evokes joy.  With his playfulness, he brings laughter and fun.  With his heart, he gives all of his love.  And we give all we have to him!

I'm grateful to have Backes to remind me what my head and heart so reluctantly were afraid to experience.  I needed him to show me once again to keep it simple.  Be present, be ready, be available.  And, just love.  Don't make things complicated.  The payoff is a heart full of happiness and joy.  May you be Beyond Blessed!