The Doors of Perception…
“There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception.” —Aldous Huxley
Yesterday I was struggling with how to think about the poor performance of an athlete I admire and root for. (If you’re not a sports fan, my using the word ‘struggle’ probably is worthy of an eye roll. If you are, you completely understand!)
Listening to a podcast, the commentator selected two plays in the game and noted how if small changes had turned those into two successful plays, then we’d be talking about his performance in a significantly different way.
The commentator’s wise words completely shifted how I think about the results and the potential outcome of the next game. Sometimes looking back through a different lens or doorway is vital to reframing an experience and setting us up for moving on with grace and optimism.
Accept your circumstances. Give thanks.
Count your blessings. Give thanks.”
Is there a negative experience lingering in your mind and affecting how you’re approaching this fall? What if you took another look, pulling back from the experience far enough to step through a different door of perception. What new insights and possibilities might this second look yield?
May you be blessed with the ability to step back, take a second look, and walk through a new door into a wiser, brighter future.
Infinite Possibilities
“If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is — infinite.”
—William Blake
A Beautiful Way
“The poet’s job is to put into words those feelings we all have that are so deep, so important, and yet so difficult to name, to tell the truth in such a beautiful way, that people cannot live without it.”
—Jane Kenyon
More Than One Point of View
“It is a narrow mind which cannot look at a subject from various points of view.”
—George Eliot
Anthem
The birds they sang
at the break of day
Start again
I heard them say
Don’t dwell on what
has passed away
or what is yet to be.
Ah the wars they will
be fought again
The holy dove
She will be caught again
bought and sold
and bought again
the dove is never free.
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in.
—Leonard Cohen, excerpt of Anthem, released January 1, 1975
