7/29/08

Go Out To The Country For A Day

I was watching a movie last night and saw the scene of an old ranch house way out in the country far from the city and all that goes on there. It made me think of our perspective of what is happening in our world and how we can get a fresh perspective.

Right now in July, 2008 some say there is a recession going on. Certainly the economy is not performing as it did a year or two years ago. I won't bother to discuss the reasons for this or the myriad of points of view on it, but from seeing that movie, there is a good way to put it in perspective.

Take a ride out into the country today. Take the long way home or take a couple hours off and take a ride. Spend the gas money. It will be worth it. Take a road that takes you away from the city and where you only occasionally see a ranch house, or other structures. Maybe you'll see farm animals, birds, the wind moving the tall grass, trees, and maybe a stream. When you find a good place, stop and get out. Look around. Take a deep breath. Close your eyes for a moment or two while you are breathing deeply.

Now, open your eyes. Look around and find the recession. Look hard. It must be there--it's in the city after all, so it must be here as well. Look around and see the politicians saying how bad things are and how they want to change them for the better. See all the newspapers floating around the sky telling you how things are. Face the reality. Don't you know that. . .ain't it awful that. . .and all that. . . that. No. You can't, can you? It isn't there, you see. It is back there, where you were. It isn't real except in your head.

Take a deep breath and look around some more. Look at the breeze moving the grass and the leaves on the trees. Feel the breeze against your skin. Smell the air. Listen to the birds chirping. Listen to the sounds, experience it all. Continue to breathe deeply. Close your eyes. Fantasize yourself as a child, running and playing with friends out in this country environment. Feel it. Now picture yourself sitting on a bank by a steam as you enjoy doing absolutely nothing but enjoying the moment and the sounds and the environment. Picture yourself doing something that you would really enjoy that cost no money, that has no dress code, that has no rules, regulations, should's and ought-to's. It's all gone, isn't it? The stuff that was in the city and in your head in the city. All there is now is this place and pleasant surroundings and experiences.

This will refresh your perspective in a very enjoyable way. Remember that it is all in your head and the heads of the people around you. When you get away from it and think about the country and the environment and the myriad of things touching your senses, the other is not real. How do you change the world? One perspective at a time. You're in charge of yours.

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