Changing Perspectives

This is a post about how a dear friend of mine totally changed the way I saw something.

I grew up and still live in an area of the country that homes lots of woodland creatures that get featured in animated children’s films because of their inherent cuteness.

But I grew up afraid of them. ‘There’s a deer!’ was a phrase that inspired sheer terror whenever I was in a car, particularly if I was driving one. Everyone I knew who said that phrase in a happy tone said it because they were a hunter getting ready to take a shot at one until two years ago.

That’s when I met A. She’s not from around here. Nowhere close, actually. She doesn’t see deer crossing signs on nearly every road she drives, and she has to drive for hours even to get a glimpse of a deer. They don’t just casually cross the street where she lives the way they do here. She calls them ‘magical creatures.’ And since I met her, now that’s how I see them too. Now, I say, ‘There’s a (bunch of) deer!’ with a happy voice, even when they’re crossing the street in front of me. I’m not afraid, I’m happy. And I notice them more; they don’t seem as unpredictable and scary. When they scared me, I never used to look for them and I think that made them more frightening. When I did see one, it was always an unpleasant shock. Now I find myself searching for them. I actually kind of WANT to see them, and when I do, it’s more of a pleasant surprise. Sometimes I even stop if I can do so safely to take a couple of photos of them.

My friend changed my perspective, and with that she took some anxiety away.
I just wanted to write a happy, grateful thing today.