“I’m having a bad day,” he said, looking forward through a half-frosted window. The morning was bitterly cold with the coming of winter, and his thoughts were as dark as the sky.
He explained to me his troubles at home; a dishwasher that ‘barely got the job done’ and kids with ‘far too much’ energy. He paused just long enough to sip his coffee – a venti caramel macchiato with just a hint of cinnamon against the edge
I watched his face as he prattled on – lamenting home, work and the traffic both ways. With every word he fell more deeply into ‘self’, creating a ‘reality’ of world absent that much bigger picture.
I watched his face as he stared blankly into the parking lot — missing completely the elderly homeless man now picking through last night’s trash bins.
Nietzsche once asked, “Why does man not see things?” — offering perhaps that it was man, himself, standing in his own way.
We see what we wish to see, arranging this world to suit our ‘vision’. Logically, we understand these aspects of cause and effect – though often fail to see our role within it.
The eyes see clearly, yet also deceive – influenced by the voices which haunt our past history.
“Do you see that man standing out there,” I asked, pointing to the parking area. “He’s here every single day. I’d once asked him the source of his smile – and do you know what he said?”
The young man lowered his eyes and he shook his head slowly.
“He said, ‘I’m alive, I have food and now – the blessing of your company.’”
We see this world as we wish to see it. To some, a paradise; to others, a prison.
And, to those – the truly awakened souls, every moment becomes a cherished blessing.
Go to the source for more: Mindfully Musing – This World as We See It.
Dr. Steve Diamond writes:
Bright, shiny objects! 
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