Guest guest Posted January 30, 2008 Report Share Posted January 30, 2008 All stories copyright 2007 Bob PerksToday's message:"The way it is"By Bob Perks Two people walk into an art gallery. In a large room on thefar wall, there hangs a simple painting. It is of a single rose surrounded by darkness. One person approaches the painting and looks at it for less than aminute and walks away. A second person approaches the painting and stands there for several minutes, backing up a few steps, moving in closer and slowly tilting her head back and forth. The first person sees her and returns. "Isn't this sad? I couldn't look at it for long. I had to walk away," she says. "Sad?" the second lady replies. "Yes. I believe it is a reflection of the world today. Look how the darkness is consuming the rose. Soon it will be gone and the beauty of the world with it,"the first woman explains. "I think it is incredible!" the second responds. "Incredibly ugly!" the first declares. "I see just the opposite. I see the beauty of the rose bursting through thedarkness. Look how brilliant it is in contrast to its surroundings. It calls usout. It tells us to stand tall and shine in the midst of all the world's struggles. So that when someone comes upon you and the example you are, others will see it and join you," she says with much enthusiasm. Two people wrote to me on the same day almost within minutes of each other. Both had read a story of mine posted on Beliefnet.com "Begin Again." The first woman criticized me and found the piece to be ridiculous and useless. She went on to tell me about her life, relationships, loss of a loved one, and seemingly impossible finances. The second woman wrote the following: Dear Bob: I read your article, "Learn to Begin Again" on Beliefnet.com. There is no greater advice and what a simple formula. I have experienced the loss of loved ones, the loss of a spouse along with the loss of a job and financial security, . The first experience with true loss was devastating and I would ask people what to do .... I got all the replies that you talked about people giving. I do know this, it is about starting over! As the years rolled by and one loss after another happened, my friends and family began to wonder how I handled all the hardships while still maintaining a positive attitude. I simply answered with I did it before and I will just start over. I would like to thank you for taking the time to offer the best advice in the world to people dealing with hardships in their lives. Best Regards,(name removed) Both of these examples reflect what I call "The way it is" principle. The way you see it, the way I see it and "The way it is" When two people see the same thing differently neither one is wrong. Bothmade their decision based on their life experiences, education, and what they choose to see at that moment. They are each a total summation of all those elements and could not make another choice. I pray that I would have seen the beauty in that painting. I know I would haveat this point in my life. But there have been times when all I saw was sadness. So, how do you help someone to see life differently? "Feel Felt Found." You begin the conversation, not in disagreement, but by understanding. "I know how you FEEL. I've FELT the same way. But this is what I FOUND." You didn't tell them they were wrong. You provide them with your observations and what you've learned from it. Will that change them? Probably not immediately. But you have planted a seed that may one day blossom into "The way it is." How would you see the flower today? "I believe in you!"Bob Letter Created by Kacoo http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kreationsbykacoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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