At an intellectual level I know full well how important it is to consider that there is more than one way of looking at things – our perspective (or point of view) is critical in defining how we react to things; how we understand and ascribe meaning to things; indeed – simply how we see ourselves in the world. It is only occasionally that you get a “real life” lesson in how even a small change in perspective can make a big difference.
For the last ten years or so I have been using the shower room in our loft conversion – every day (just about) for all the things that you usually do in there. Recently we have changed the flooring. When it was first built we put down a carpet – that was in need of replacement, so we decided that we would have a tiled floor instead.
It is now complete – and guess what – suddenly I am much taller!! Its strange, the difference in the floor is only a few millimetres – but it has been raised just a little (evidence for that is that we had to shave the bottom off the existing door) and that is enough to make a BIG difference. When I walk in there I seem taller – when I step out of the shower I don’t “go down” as much as I used to.
Of course, everything else in the room is still the same – but I feel a bit like Alice in Wonderland – the room has “shrunk” – or else I have grown. Even several weeks after the floor was laid I still get the same sensation.
Goes to show – little things do make a big difference – changing your point of reference – or your point of view – can make all sorts of changes to what you see and experience.