“To change ourselves effectively, we first had to change our perceptions.” – Stephen R. Covey
I can remember as a kid having one of those cylindrical cardboard kaleidoscope thingies. With every little turn you made, the little flicks and flecks of “whatever” was inside of it, would rearrange themselves thus changing the entire visual that you were looking at. Some of the colour pieces inside the kaleidoscope are bigger than the others and no matter what arrangement or formation they make, those bits will always stand out a little more. The “people we become” and our characters are not really much different.
Life, our experiences in it and our developed characters through all of that are not one dimensional. Every single thing that happens to us is one intricate little facet which changes and shapes the whole. I find it bewildering that so many people live life with a complete lack of understanding of this, yet they themselves are no different because there is not a person on earth that doesn’t have some form of emotional baggage which they carry.
“There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception.” – Aldous Huxley
We have a rescue dog who, since a puppy has been scared of pretty much everything! To give you an example - he wiped out jumping up on the couch one day and from that day he refused to try and jump up again. He literally just stands there and freezes in complete fear and doubt next to the couch. Regardless of our efforts and encouragement, this behaviour continued for more than a year and then one day out of his own accord… he just casually jumped up.
I don’t know what changed inside of him, or what flicked the switch - but something did. However, it was short lived. He had another oopsie and now we are back to square one. Human trauma is the same. You cannot go through something which rocks your world on an emotional and psychological level and then be expected to be the same as you were before. It changes you. Simple as that - and people need to keep sight of the fact that each and every one of us holds in our hands an entirely different and unique kaleidoscope. We have all been shaped differently.
When you take the time to contemplate this - especially in situations with others which you find challenge you, your boundaries or even just your patience levels… try and remember that even though you may not have knowledge of the “details”. Think of it as a kaleidoscope of empathy.
“One moment the world is as it is. The next, it is something entirely different. Something it has never been before.” – Anne Rice
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Until next time...
Much Love from Country Bumpkinland, South Africa xxx
Jaynielea
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Typos make me human. I may or may not get around to correcting them.
