Perspective. We’ve all lost it from time to time. On occasion it can become really skewed. The value of getting it in check is immeasurable especially when you are a parent.

Exhibit A. Princess Jellybean (PJ) has had some dramatic tantrums of late. Mr. T and I have discussed and implemented parenting strategies to help guide her through and out of this. But while I was feeling lost in a moment of hysteria wondering how she could possibly demonstrate this kind of behavior, I showed up to volunteer at preschool and quickly discovered that she was one of many struggling to learn the same lessons. In just two and a half hours I watched several children act out in the exact same ways that I had witnessed PJ do it – just in their own voice, their own folded arms, and their own tears. In this moment, I straightened my back and smiled in all the chaos.

Exhibit B. Squidget has always had a difficulty with time management. He is completion oriented (finish the thought, the project, the chapter etc) so completing his intended action in a preset amount of time has been a point of frustration for as long as I can remember. So Squidget’s Occupational Therapist is out on maternity leave and we have been seeing someone new. It turns out that this wonderful and highly trained professional has an equal amount of difficulty mastering Squidget’s concept of time. In bearing witness to this I can’t help but giggle silently to myself.

I have the same reaction when I watch an episode of Hoarders. At first I am horrified and then I am slightly elated because of it’s relatively to my life. For the record, I am not happy or joyful because other people are struggling; rather it is the much needed reminder that what I am experiencing is “normal”, and in the scheme of things I am not entirely batsh*t crazy.  Within a moment of adversity I can pause and count my blessings rather than count my challenges. It is a reminder that we all struggle, and that none of us are alone in that. It is an opportunity to look at myself in the same way I look at others. I am not inclined to define a persons professional, personal, or parenting success by their struggles or challenges; rather I would define their success by their attitude, their love, and their patience. Sometimes I need perspective so that I can define myself by the same measures. Perspective also serves as an excellent reminder to be kinder and more compassionate towards others…..because everyone has their own battles, and everything is relative.

“When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder a second seems like an hour. That’s relativity. ” -Albert Einstein

**For better or worse you may have noticed some changes on my blog. I had to change hosting services and that resulted in losing,  recovering, transferring, and restructuring a lot of data. It would really help if I actually knew how to do those things Anyway, bear with me as I work it all out As always, thanks for reading!