Perspective

Here are pictures of another art journaling page I recently completed: a leaf study. I enjoyed sketching these beautiful, petite leaves from different angles. As I look at this painting, I see one picture that makes the three leaves look like one leaf and another that doesn't look like leaves at all but more of a fire. Perhaps some truth resides in all of these angles.

I frequently have to remind myself of this truth. I can hold onto one way of looking at something, or I can explore additional perspectives. This is especially true when someone disagrees with me. I so badly want to be right! Yet probably more often than not, I hold a piece of the truth, and the other person holds a piece of the truth. Can we each be curious about the other's perspective? Can we hold our pieces together to make a bigger, more beautiful, more realistic picture?

I'm thinking about this quite a bit today, Election Day in the United States. This tends to be a divisive day for us, with people being equally passionate about "their" candidate and about their view of the outcome. Either we are saved or we are doomed. Can we somehow be open enough to consider each other's perspectives and have hope, whatever the outcome?