Look Up, Tune In, Turn OnBy Janet M. Neal When you find yourself stuck in a rut, change your perspective. When your life seems dull or overwhelming, look at life from another’s perspective. A trip to a foreign land will help, as would watching a documentary. Or how about having a conversation with your teenager about something you take for granted? I learned this lesson when my son asked me if he could play an album. My 15 year old son is into all things 60s and 70s after listening to the soundtrack from Across the Universe. It seems that his listening to it had not only jostled his curiosity but also his visual acuity – he seems to have just noticed the album collection he has walked past every day of his life. So last week he asked if maybe I had any music he might like. That’s all I needed: I started pulling out albums left and right and lovingly caressing the memories. “Oh, here’s Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Déjà Vu – a classic!” I crooned. “Is that a group?” he countered. **Sigh**. Finally he lit up when I pulled out a Beatles album – a common link. Who would have thought the Beatles would BRIDGE the generation gap?! And then the fun began. First he put the album on the turntable, put the needle on and told me it didn’t work. Lesson number one: turn on the receiver. Next he complained that it kept shutting off. Lesson number two: you place the needle on the OUTSIDE of the album, not the inside. Getting the needle on the album itself proved challenging, as he kept dropping it just off the edge (with me cringing in the background). Then he had no idea how to put it on the song he wanted to hear. I told him to look at the lines on the album, which seems to be another foreign concept requiring my intervention once again. “What number is it?” I asked. “Four, “ came his reply. I placed it perfectly in the groove and the 4th song started…which was not what he wanted. Puzzled, I then asked him, “Well, which side is it on?” Another foreign concept: these things have 2 sides?! Other lessons included how to remove the album, discussing the fact that if there is one on the turntable already, one must REMOVE that first before putting another on, and then how to handle the album so as not to put fingerprints all over it. And of course, how to put it back in the dust cover. After all this he just looked at me, put his earphones back in, turned on his iPod and walked away. So much for bridging the gap. What it did for me though is to change my thought patterns and jolt me out of my automatic pilot life. I realize I take so much for granted and appreciated that blast from the past to remind me that people come from different places, experiences and viewpoints. When I get stuck in a rut, there is another way to look at the situation at hand. I’m reminded of an image that came to me as I was meditating one day. I envisioned myself high on a precipice. I don’t know about you, but the older I get, the less I feel heights are my friend! So here I was, standing on this mountaintop, staring down at my inevitable demise and feeling the wave of panic engulf me. Not what you would imagine being the side effect of a calming meditation session! But just as I was about to break out in a cold sweat, I heard a calm voice say, “Look up”. Slowly I raised my head and looked out instead of down. There, ahead of me, was a gorgeous vista, complete with a sunset over a spectacular mountain range. Immediately the panic evaporated and I was filled with calm and appreciation. Ah – the lesson of perspective: by changing how you look at something, you change how you feel about it. So even though I may not have converted my son into a Three Dog Night or Seals and Crofts fan, he did give me a chance to look at my life through another’s eyes. It also gave me an appreciation on the perspective he has towards me. I’m sure he has a new appreciation for me because he just texted to say he was ROTFL about it….
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