Thought-Provoking Perspective
What if...
Yesterday, as we were easing in to our morning, I watched Michael take a bite out of the top of a double chocolate chip muffin. A single bite right there in the very center of the tippy top of the muffin. My mind was blown!
It’s a really simple thing to have blown my mind, but man, was I perplexed. ‘Do you always eat muffins like that?’ to which he replied, “Yeah. How else would you eat them?”
My thought exactly!
Here’s the thing, I thought I’d mastered eating muffins in college. When I was given the responsibility of choosing my own breakfast and responsibly making my way to my 8:30 am class I chose a double chocolate chocolate chip muffin rounded off with a chocolate milk most mornings. It felt very grown up at the time.
And when I sit down to eat this sugary delight on occasion today, I get nostalgic. I gingerly piece it apart bite by bite. Taking the top off to sit it to the side and picking my way thru the bottom half first, then slowly beginning to eat the top, one piece at a time, saving the tippy top for last. On the rare occasion I’ve taken an actual bite out of a muffin rather than piecing it apart with my fingers, I regret it instantly. My nose always smushes into some melty chocolate chip and I can’t savor my muffin with those types of annoyances.
But here I was completely bewildered at Michael’s audacity to scarf down the tippy top first in one fell swoop!
It wasn’t how he was eating it that bothered me, it was that I’d NEVER thought to eat it differently.
Michael and I think about so many things in similar ways and it’s creepy how in sync we can be with ideas sometimes. And then there are somethings that just leave me perplexed at how differently we approach them.
For instance, give us a math problem — any kind of financial question — and we’ll likely come up with the same answer, but we will have very different approaches to how to get there (I imagine this is how parents feel trying to do “new math” with their kids today). It makes for hilariously confusing conversations around numbers here in our house.
One of our favorite analog activities is to curl up on the couch together with a paper sudoku book and a pencil. We will often find the same number simultaneously, but if you ask how we solved it you’d be perplexed by the different answers. “How could you possibly be looking at the same puzzle?” you might think.
I’m always perplexed too. But, I enjoy the different approaches we have. And I kind of get thrilled when we discover we do something so completely differently! It’s these moments where I think “Holy cow! There’s a whole other way of doing this that I’ve never even seen!”.
Perspective is an interesting thing. We each have perspective on a multitude of matters, big and small, chosen and ingrained. But, it’s hard to see different perspective until it’s presented to us quite blatantly.
Who eats the muffin peak first?!
This is why friends, partners, books, tv, and podcasts can all be so incredibly thought provoking if we take the time to notice.
Perspective is why I write to you each week. I hope to ask thought-provoking questions that inspire you to experiment, explore, and ponder on your own.
Perspective is a gift that we can receive from other people, but it’s also a gift we can give ourselves. Sometimes we just need to step out of our default mode and be curious.
I find myself asking the question ‘What if…?’ a lot lately.
What if I worked 6 months ahead on projects?
What if I made fun my objective for the day?
What if I sat here to daydream a bit?
What if… helps me explore what’s possible. It makes the idea or thought lighthearted.
Perspective is a gift that we can receive from other people, but it’s also a gift we can give ourselves. Sometimes we just need to step out of our default mode and be curious.
Perspective can come in different forms. Sometimes it’s offering ourselves perspective through questions like What if and sometimes it’s thru listening or reading another perspective or connecting with a friend.
Is there an area of life or business where you feel a desire for a perspective shift? What or who’s perspective would be helpful for you right now?
Where do you find perspective when you need another point of view? Share your thought by leaving a comment.
I hope my ponderings inspire thought-provoking ideas for you this week.
Your Friend,
Ashley