Embrace the Contrasts

I just returned from a four-day trip to visit my dear friend and her family in Florida. And as so often happens when I travel, it has brought up a lesson I need to learn or remember. The lesson is this: embrace the contrasts! I have been reminded that contrast keeps things fresh. It gives us new perspectives on what we do, who we are and how we live. And it teaches us to value the differences.

I'm sure you've had the experience of going on vacation and realizing "there's no place like home." I've found "there's no place like away" to give you that new perspective and deeper appreciation of your life. And "contrast" is the magic ingredient that brings that realization into clear focus.

Think about it: We can't appreciate light without dark. Contrast is what helps us put our little problems into a larger perspective. Contrast between color or musical notes is what creates great works of art or music. Contrast in the form of a little spice transforms an ordinary dish into an extraordinary one.

Visiting my friend I experienced and enjoyed the contrast of different geography. She lives in beautiful sunny Florida, land of swaying palm trees and afternoon rainstorms. I live in the arid desert of Nevada, sunny but minus the swaying palms and humidity; surrounded by mountains more than palms and yet both beautiful in their unique way. I got to enjoy the contrast of having a 2-year-old on the loose! It brought back lots of memories of when our son was that age, but also gave me a new appreciation for the world our son the teenager, is discovering at this stage in his life. Eating different food while away makes me appreciate the tastes of home in a new way. I had an enriching conversation with my friend's husband, whose political views are a study in contrast from my own. And yet I have a new appreciation for his perspective and my own.

In the absence of contrast our lives become monotonous, boring, colorless. As Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, "a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Contrast, whether in the form of a vacation across the continent or a short trip a few miles away; whether in the form of a new restaurant or simply a new recipe; whether experiencing a new chapter in life or revisiting a former chapter in a new way; whether in the form of listening respectfully to another's differing opinion...all can give us wiser, richer perspectives if we're willing to embrace them.

I returned from my short vacation with a new appreciation for the contrasts in life. This week take a look around and discover some new contrasts in your life. Rather than rejecting them as different, embrace them as delightful. Rather than turning away from them because they are new, turn toward them because of their potential to awaken you.

And remember the wise words of another philosopher, Marcel Proust: "The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes."

This week open your eyes to the contrasts and enjoy the journey!