Well, today is February 29th – a bonus day! I had a big “what???” today and thought it deserved a blog. I live in Chicago and it is 60 degrees today. Yes, it is 60 degrees and it is February 29th and that is a picture of me in sandals, today. I was relishing in how balmy it was this morning as I went to work out. When I got home I received a call from my dad, who lives 5 hours north of me. He emphatically told me not to come visit him tomorrow because they were having a blizzard. It had snowed a foot last night and they were expecting another 8 inches today. I was stunned since it was so nice here. It’s not like he lives in a different time zone or a completely different climate. I was surprised because I assumed he was having similar weather, maybe a bit colder, since that’s how it usually goes.
The big reminder for me is that we often assume our reality and perspective holds true for other people. How many times were you surprised to hear someone’s reaction to an event and find that it was diametrically opposed to your experience? It happens often in the political and religious arenas. However, we often forget how often those different perspectives occur in everyday life. When faced with a different perspective we often go into protect mode – we think that we have to defend our position, agree with their position, or make the other person wrong. What if you were curious about their perspective and held onto that curiosity without thinking you had to either agree or disagree with them? That you could recognize their position without having to agree with it?
- When were you surprised by someone’s opinion that was different from yours?
- Did you have judgments about their opinion?
- How would your life be expanded if you were curious about different perspectives rather than judging them?
- When was the last time you recognized that the judgment you had about someone was related to their Life Energy, which is different from yours?
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