Through the Eyes of Another

I do not often have the opportunity to see, really see, my life through the eyes of another. Well recently, the “ WE “ in my life created just that for me. This opportunity of looking through the eyes of another, came into my experience in the simplest of ways. We had a new friend come into our home to care for our dogs when we were away, and Voila – with her came another interesting learning experience.

When we returned from our brief stay away, my friend took the time to share that she felt that my home had been a “wonderful retreat” for her.  Those words were powerful to me, as they caused me to stop and look around my small world, known as home, and see it through the eyes of another.

This opportunity to see my world in an entirely new way, truly took me on a new path. In fact, I would not be exaggerating to say that this catapulted – literally catapulted -  me out of my “ho hum, my life is boring” state of mind, into another place entirely.


I had gotten so used to my surroundings that I was no longer seeing them.  When we are in the same place, day after day, it often becomes so common place that we don’t even really see it anymore.  When I lived in the city of Ottawa, and drove past the Parliament Buildings everyday, I no longer noticed them there.  Yet, when visitors came, that was the very place they all wanted to go.  Back then, I did not get it. But this, this experience caused me to look around at a lot of things in my life and wonder, “what else am I not seeing”?

So, I started with my house and saw – really saw – my twelve bird feeders and the wonderful variety of animals and birds that visit us on an hourly, never mind daily basis. I stopped, sat in the rocking chair, and watched with a renewed wonder, my garden and its inhabitants.

Next, I realized the quiet. I stopped and listened to the quiet of my “boring” little world and another wonder was born. The quiet in my home was tangible, almost touchable. It was the quiet that often leads me to a lonely place. But now, now I was willing to see it as an asset, not a punishment. Perhaps it was the quiet of a sanctuary, a “retreat”.

I looked at my marriage – yes I did! And saw the harmony and friendship that was there; the sweetness and the trust. I came to regard what I thought of as my loneliness, in a whole new way. I came to see my time spent alone in a new light – not lonely but alone.  That was a deep well of ideas and thoughts. 

My small piece of this big world is filled with a harmony – birds, animals, dogs, partner – and that is worth some gratitude.  I just had gotten so used to it that I was not really seeing “where” I was living and what we had created, in our little part of the world.

This is truly about awareness in a whole new way. I have read about “being present” and being “aware”, but this was an immediate experience of that philosophical idea. When I stopped to see my world through another’s eyes, I did indeed become very present and aware of where I was, what was around me and what that really felt like. I truly became “present” in my surroundings.

It was about a real experience of “seeing” my little part of the world and recognizing what we have created there; afterall, we are all Creators at our core. Now I am watching myself to see how I live in my “retreat” home.  So presence, really being present and living in each moment, is easier for me, as I have something to look at and appreciate? Does that make sense?

Presence and Acknowledgement seem to be the cornerstones for my journey right now.  I have read about them from various authors over the last year, and now I am truly beginning to live it. 

Hmm, Presence, as a verb!  Wow, Acknowledgement, as a state of being! Who would have thought that our short vacation, with a friend watching our house and dogs, could yield so much!! I am relaxed and grateful to boot! This world, this life has so much to offer if we stop and notice its offerings.

And that is the now, different View from Here!