The Perpetual Rorschach

Are we all tired of the question that inevitably pops up here, there, and every place…are you a glass half full person, or glass half empty? (Me, I sometimes wonder why I can’t just get a full freakin’ glass!). Sure, it’s been done to death and then some, but there’s a reason. Our lives are complicated and, like the metaphorical glass or the infamous Rorschach ink blot, utterly subject to - if not defined by - interpretation.

I remember, growing up, hearing my parents speak in hushed tones (the same one used to discuss "cancer’) about a great national tragedy. Thousands and thousands of kids, filthy, strung out on illegal drugs, engaging in lewd and indiscriminate behavior. The hallmark of a horribly lost generation. And funny, it wasn’t til junior high that I heard tell of a fantabulous three-day rock festival, best bands in the world, thousands of kids dancing, singing, and helping each other out harmoniously through the adversity of scarce supplies. I think there were even some brand new babies born. Yes, a glorious icon of the generation…and realized it was the same event. In fact, I imagine there were still others that looked out at the same scene, and could hear nothing over the moo-ing from their newly discovered cash cow…the music festival! What an awesome new opportunity. Marketing strategies brewing, entrepreneurial engines revving.... One event, three valid but very different perceptions.

Ever been homebound in a snowstorm or blackout? Wasn’t it a huge pain the butt…all that food going bad in the fridge, no lights or tv, doing math in your head to figure out what it’s gonna cost you to fix the roof? Or was it an adventure…a time to break out the flashlights, light candles, play games, venture outside to see what the neighbors were up to, and as for that food going bad, three letters… BBQ!

There are lots more ways to illustrate, but the point is, at the end of the day, happiness comes down to a matter of perception. One person’s life isn’t necessarily any better or worse than anyone else’s. We all know some who seem to “have it all”, only to find out they’re miserable under the shiny, seemingly charmed surface. We also know those who’ve tackled all sorts of unpleasant or challenging circumstances, and kept their inner sparkle thru it all.

In a Rorschach, you see a building, I see a horse, he sees two turtles humping…we're all right, and yet the picture’s the same.

What’s one thing in your life you can change just by changing how you look at it?