Seeing things clearly

rebekahhurst.com
I don’t like needing glasses. When I hit my 30’s I needed them occasionally but only to read. Then in my 40’s I needed them absolutely to read. And now, at age 51, it’s apparent that not only do I need them to read but if I want to see anything clearly and accurately, I better have them on or learn to be content with seeing less than the whole picture.
Just to be clear as to what I’m talking about, let me give you an example. Often times I use the shower rod in my guest bathroom to hang jeans on after I pull them out of the washer. Long ago I realized that drying certain things was sure to decrease them in size, which of course would be beneficial if, in fact, I too were decreasing in size. But, no, that’s not the case here.
Well, recently as I was looking upward to hang my clothes I noticed cob webs in the corner of my shower. As I followed their path it unfortunately did not just stay in the corners but did instead travel the perimeter of the bathroom. Observing this, I felt a quick kick in the gut as I wondered just how long those webs have been there, especially seeing how full and thick they were as they stretched around the room. And dang it, if that wasn’t bad enough it had only been a couple of weeks since I had company using this bathroom.
On top of it all, I just kept thinking “How did I miss it while I was preparing and cleaning for their stay, because surely I would have noticed,” wouldn’t I. And then it hit me, I wasn’t wearing my glasses the day I cleaned in there. And then it really hit me, “I wonder what my company thought?” Oh, well. Nothing I can do about that now.
You see, this kind of thing happens fairly regularly when I don’t wear my glasses. I miss things. Granted, at times it makes things easier for a little while, kind of like delaying bad news. Like when I look in the mirror without my glasses I’m much happier because I don’t see all the wrinkles that have started to invade my face. Therefore, at that moment it seems like looking at things without glasses can be a good thing. But though I may not see them clearly, the truth is, the wrinkles are still there.
Life is a lot like that. Just because we don’t see something, it doesn’t mean it’s not there or happening all around us. Going through life choosing not to see things clearly is like looking through rose-colored lenses, if we’ve remembered to wear our glasses at all. How we navigate through life often depends on our willingness to see things truthfully and how clearly we see the direction we want to take.
There have been many times in my life where I have chosen to look at circumstances with blinders on. Usually, those were the times I only wanted to see what I wanted to see, not willing to accept the truth about certain situations. Sometimes no matter how long we wish something to be so, it just isn’t and no amount of wishing in the world will make it so.
It is only when we see clearly that we can change our direction to the better path. And when we take off the blinders, we can deal with the issues that come our way head on, instead of waiting to pick up whatever pieces are left after a crash and then to try and start all over again.
Have there been times in my life when I was content with not seeing things as they truly were? Yes, it was easier that way in the beginning. But as time went by and reality hit me square in the face, the truth was far harder to deal after living in denial for so long, just as with the cob web layers that had multiplied, growing full and thick and into an ugly mess.
The truth is that just as I needed to be wearing my glasses to give my best effort in cleaning my bathroom and clearly seeing the task at hand, so should I go through life choosing to see clearly. Regardless of what comes my way, I need to journey through with eyes wide open and focused whether dealing with circumstances, emotions or relationships. To do so, I must take off the blinders so I can squarely see and promptly deal with any oncoming obstacle or distraction trying to prevent me from living a more excellent way. Though there may be times that ignorance seems blissful, in the end, it’s the truth you know that sets you free!