Fresh Eyes

When I directed high school Shakespeare productions, I had a different experience of the show than the rest of the audience. As the director, I knew the lines, the blocking, the jokes, and when these were missed or delivered imperfectly, I noticed and was frustrated. 

By the end of the show, I was disheartened that it didn’t reach its potential; but then, I’d go into the lobby and the audience gave me a reality check. The way they spoke about the play would have made you think they had seen an entirely different show! Not just parents, but even strangers thoroughly enjoyed themselves. They didn’t work on the play for months and didn’t know how it was “supposed to go.” They saw the play with fresh eyes. 

It seems to me that there is a lesson in this: we often are aware of and frustrated by the imperfections of the things with which we are most familiar. How we see our family members, our work, our own virtue and worth as a person is often skewed in the negative direction due to familiarity. Outside observers often have a more positive view of these very same things. 

I am not saying that either perspective is completely accurate. Instead, I’d like to propose that we can benefit from being attentive to the outer view, as well as our own assessment. 

This week, I invite you to consider: 

What in my world might I be experiencing with more judgement than it deserves due to familiarity? How might I view this thing if I were to see it anew with something closer to an outside perspective? 

God bless,
Dan