Brushstrokes of the Heart

They say that hindsight is 20/20. That you can see more clearly when you look back. That you have more understanding and are able to reason through decisions and choices you made. That may be true for most, but for me, when I look back my vision is more nearsighted, than far. Events are fuzzy, unclear. Simply allowing time to pass was not enough for me to gain clarity.  It wasn't until I left or the term I like best, "pushed" outside my life circle that I was able to really "see" how things were.

I believe that when we give ourselves a chance to change our perception, we give ourselves the gift of understanding. Perception is reality.  Perception is a tricky thing that will give truth to what we see and feel. It justifies our actions. It gives us liberty to live our lives as we see fit. The problem with perception is that we can become stuck. We can build up blinders to only see things one way. In the past year, I have learned that my perception of things used to be stagnant. My focus was pinpointed to objects right in front of me. I did not see the whole picture. As I opened my line of vision, I started to "see" things in my former life circle that I was blind to before. A sad face, hurt feelings, loneliness that only one can suffer within the confines of their own heart. I excluded the hard stuff and focused on the things I could change or control.

I may not always understand the landscape of my life. The blurred lines, the sharp contrasts, or the colors that blend into moods and feelings. When I face my life painting and step back, I start to see blurred lines come into focus and I start to understand things that were once obscure.

Time does not heal all wounds, hindsight is not 20/20 for me, but my perspective is always changing.  It is always coming in and out of focus. And as the art of my life changes, I hope my perspective will always change along with it, allowing new information to seep in to help me understand my life work.

Our brushstrokes and our different shades and hues may be different, but I believe that we are all working on our canvases, trying to master the Art of Life. 

I wonder what colors, shapes and images will be in my next painting...

Until then,

Live Large and Be Free!