Even though I have seen it before, each time is like the first as I see it in a slightly new way. Whatever filter I wear that day from mood or thoughts gives it a slightly different perspective. This phenomenon is not reserved for the Flint Hills.
Each day we wear a filter. It is determined by our outlook, how well we slept, our past, our hopes, any good or bad news we have received; a million things. Vision is not as definitive as we imagine. It is very much based on perception.
The last two nights my husband slept in the guest room so that he could set the conditions to better aid his sore throat. The first night I slept great as my body used the silent and stillness to dive deep and catch up on over a years worth of lack of sleep. Last night, however, I kept waking up reaching for him. It's not that I am fully caught up on sleep, but rather that I am caught up enough that I am aware something important is missing.
It hadn't really occurred to me how aware I was he was there when he is there and I am sleeping. Obviously I knew I like having him there from times he has been gone but last night showed me in a new way how aware I am even as I sleep. And just how much comfort there is in having him near, even if I'm asleep.
I'm grateful to understand in a new way. I'm grateful for how close my husband and I are to each other. I'm grateful to know we could survive without if we had to and I'm grateful to not have to today. I'm grateful that my family is on the road to recovery and that my husband will be rejoining our bed tonight. I'm grateful for the little things that give me a new way to see. I'm grateful for the filters that change the Flint Hills but always make them beautiful in my eyes. And I'm grateful for the filter that gratitude gives me for this life.
What filters are you wearing today? How does being aware of the filters shift the view?
May today remind us we are in control of our perceptions. May we find beauty in the world around us. Have a beautiful day!