One of the things that we have tried to do over the last three years is turn all of our bad situations into something positive. You know....find the "good" in every situation. It just seemed like everytime something took a turn for the worst in our family, we got flooded with the cliches. "God wouldn't give you something you guys couldn't handle" or 'You guys are strong and have each other, so you'll work through it". The people that said those things to us had nothing but good intentions, and it meant the world to us. However, we had come to realize that those things don't come true without us first, believing in what they were saying and second, us changing the way we viewed each and every situation.
I realize that everyone that reads this blog doesn't deal with diabetes like we do, meaning 50% of our family is diabetic. I realize that in regards to health, some of you have been blessed to have a healthy life and family, which is fantastic. I realize that some of you are exactly like us. When it seems like things are smooth sailing, you get hit with a sucker punch that knocks you down and you're not sure you can ever get back up. So for everyone, I wanted to share the philosophy of the quarter. I will often refer back to this philosophy, something I learned in college, to change my views and feelings on certain situations that I face. Let me explain....
It starts by digging in your pocket and pulling out a quarter. If you don't have a quarter, borrow one from a friend. Take that quarter and lay it flat on the table. Now stand directly above the quarter and look down at it. What shape is the quarter? It's a perfect circle.
Now, leave the quarter where it is at, and step back about 3-5 feet. Look at the quarter. What shape is the quarter now? If done right, it should be more of an oval shape.
Perspective. If you ask anyone to tell you what the shape of a quarter is, they are going to say that it is a circle. It's just common knowledge right? Getting into a bit of philosophy for a bit, is a quarter really a circle in shape? From one angle...yes it is. But once we step back and take a different angel, the quarter appears to take a different shape....an oval.
What if we substituted the quarter with whatever problems or issues we were dealing with in life? I will use our situation and walk through or process.
Our quarter was Micheala being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes on May 10, 2009. We stood directly above our quarter. We didn't like the shape of our quarter. It was defeating, filled with hopelessness, sadness, guilt, pity and tension. We stood above our quarter and it changed the shape of our family in a way that caused heartache and depression.
One day, unhappy with our perspective or the shape of our quarter, we decided to step back and get a different perspective. Our quarter needed a new shape. What we previously viewed as negative, now turned into something positive. With our new perspective we saw opportunity. We saw the opportunity to make a difference. The opportunity to meet new people and help them. The opportunity to start doing something positive and leave a legacy. The opportunity to change our world and the world of those who were viewing their quarters like we once did.
Don't get me wrong, diabetes still sucks and we sometimes find ourselves standing directly above that quarter. We have to remind ourselves to take a deep breather and step back from the quarter so we can again gain that perspective that we so desire.
The moral of the night is to try and change your perspective. If there is something in this world that you don't like...it's up to you to change it. It starts with how you look at it. I could easily spend the rest of my life feeling sorry for myself and all of the things that have happened to us. I would be miserable, plus I know that there are people in this world that deal with much worse. I want to see the good in every situation.
If you have a situation that is not good right now...try changing your perspective...it may change your life. It has changed ours.
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