Perspective - It's all how ya look at it.

Which we all know, of course. I remember seeing on PBS some commercials a couple of years ago that were related to this idea.
One was a child who lived on a farm wanted to experiment with roosters, and he/she (can't remember which) constructed and carried out a plan to trick roosters with a light that simulated sunlight, seeing if the roosters would crow. They did.
There was another brilliant one, too, but I cannot recall it just now.
The closing statement was "It's all how you look at it."

My son lately, for a couple of months or so, has been (he watches television, remember, and lots of dinosaur -nature shows) coming up to me, and holding up his fingers, and saying "Mom! An apatasaurus is this big," with his pointer finger and thumb about three inches apart "and Man is this big" with fingers hardly seperated at all.
"Aaah." Say I, not quite knowing what to say.
Today, just an hour or so ago, holding up his fingers about 1/2 an inch apart. "Mom! This is how big a Giant Dragonfly (Prehistoric Park) is!"
"Oh! Do you know what that's called? That's called perspective. If you look at something that's far away, you can measure it like this (holding up my fingers to my eye), because far away it looks that big. But if the Giant Dragonfly were here, buzzing around my head, it would be this big!" Holding my arms out to about a three foot distance. "Right? That's called perspective."
He actually seemed thrilled that I knew of such a concept, and shortly thereafter went away smiling.

I was in the grocery store today, alone for once, and being alone, I had a chance to observe pe0ple a bit. There is a girl that I run into sometimes at fieldtrips for our Littles group - or other fieldtrips. Other times it's just homeschooler trips. Free zoo day for hsers, that sort of thing.
Today I ran into her at Wild Oats.
I don't know why, but I just really like her. It's almost like having a crush on someone. (Nothing irregular, I don't have any desire for that, just in case you're thinking along those lines.) She's sweet, and pretty, playful, and genuinely good and gentle, it just makes me want to be more like here when I see her.
At first I wasn't sure it was her, but later I asked (in the parking lot) if it was, and she said, "Yeah!", and I said "Hi", and went on my merry way.
Next stop was Harmon's, so I was people watching by this time, and setting my mind for how I wanted to be and act through the rest of my day/life.
Saw a Mama with an infant up front, driving a "car" grocery cart, and the toddler for whom the car was chosen was not in it, but on it.
Honestly, I wasn't paying much attention to the Mama, but the little girl who was so pleased to be riding on the outside of the car. She was about three and a half, maybe.
Now, when I get cars, I am ashamed (really) to admit, that I tend to worry about what Others Will Say (or think), and it's a challenge to keep Trev in the cart. I honestly worry about his safety, too, but mostly because Every Damned Time I'm at Home Depot an announcement comes on that says "Parents! Please keep your children off the equipment and inside the cart!"...yada yada yada. Every time, I kid you not. I wonder if it's standard procedure to push that button 20 minutes into our every visit.
But here was this Mama, driving really slow, and not saying a word about it.
"Aaaah." Thought I. "Here she is, and instead of saying 'Please Keep Your Arms And Legs Inside The Ride At All Times', she was just driving slowly, therefore any chance of knocking the child off the cart, or running into someone and hurting the child is nil. Now why hadn't I thought of that? Why can't I take that time to look at alternatives?"
Now, a couple of aisles later (you know how you run into the same people over and over again in the store, travelling up and down aisles methodically) I hear Mama say "Please get in the car, it's not safe."
Aaah.
Turns out Mama was just distracted, and not terribly enlightened after all.

sidenote: Just now Maddie comes in singing "cook-ies, cook-ies, cookies", I look up, and laugh because she has like 8 Fig Newmans, and she says " 'At Funny?"
"yeah, that's funny, but you can't have those! We're eating soon" if Mama can ever hurry and finish this post.
Back to business...

Now, I did not judge Mama, you understand. Well, maybe a tiny bit, becasue at the request in the name of safety I noticed her, and she looked a bit harried and lost.
But mostly I blessed her because I found some of my own truth in her life and actions.
Shortly thereafter I noticed several mama's/grandma's with a furrowed or constantly-disapproving brow, or an angry look on their face, whatever. I, not because I wanted to rub it in, of course, but because I had found Truth At The Neighborhood Grocer that day, was feeling quite the thing when I got home to my husband and children.

Now I'm thinking of having two or three copies of a signed statement in my purse at all times to pass out to any store clerk that comes to me with An Issue, and I'll just smile and hand it to them, and say "Just in case"" It will, of course say something like "My family takes full responsibility for itself, and I'll not hold you or this business liable or accountable for our curiosity, whims, or needs."

Decided then (thank God, it's been a while since my last revelation) that I didn't want to be one of those with a permanently furrowed brow. I don't want sad lines on my face.

One more oberservance - I'm sure it's relative, but I'm not sure yet how....
Whenever I get down on my knees, to really talk to Trev "at his level", lol, he gets on his knees, also.
What do you s'pose that's about?
:)

So I've yet again decided that I have a choice.
I can choose happiness.
I can choose joy.
I can choose laughter.
I can choose communication instead of demands.
Today I have.
Today I've chosen to be love, and to be happy.

(Author laughs-out-loud) This is, of course, To Be Continued....