Changing perspective

In a few days I finally after quite some time fly abroad to another part of the world for some retreat days. As there the temperature is about 27 degrees and it’s rain season I needed to buy a few things yesterday to prepare myself. Going through the shops here where winter sale is ongoing and everyone is seeking for special prices and not really needed things, I felt like a stranger as my  goals and perspectives for things have been totally different.
This morning then I read a post of a dear friend in Facebook about coming home after a few days somewhere else helping to see what is back home – noticing things that have been there but were not noticed before.

But does it really need to “go away” to see things different? Can we not change perspectives while we are here? Some weeks ago I was in a course for photography and our teacher suggested that we go out each day with a different focus: one day check for all things that are green, then things that are round shaped, or things that are repetitive. Like that you sharpen your eye, you train your special view to things. Years back in my trainings, we did some other exercises where we postulated that there are always a minimum of 3 answer options to every question. I remember that this was not easy at all but after a some time of struggling we have been quite fluent in developing options. It’s the same with this photography exercise…it takes an effort but I can tell you it helps to get your mind open, to see / perceive things differently.

So what can you do to change your perspective? What it it that you want to add as little exercise into your daily flow of life to keep your mind open and fresh for daily things? Maybe you make it like another friend of mine who said to me:” You know, as I did have some time, I took another way to work and I saw new things. It was a different experience to start the day and I decided to do that more often now.”

PS: the picture is about repetition…I passed the shop with theses vases the whole summer but I never saw them until Christmas eve when I passed at night, are they not beautiful?