20/20 Finds
It’s 2019, the year is fast coming to a close and within hours 2020 will make a grand entrance. Through the years my New Year’s resolutions have included losing weight, eliminating debt, learning a foreign language and refining various skills. Every year I vow to finish a box of craft projects I’ve accumulated in various stages of completion. Generally, my resolve weakens as the weeks and months go by and I end up feeling defeated once again. However, in retrospect, it occurs to me that I eat healthier than I ever have, I know a smattering of Tagalog and Spanish, I can read music well enough to plunk out a tune on the piano and I have better spending habits than I practiced many years ago. My biggest failing keeps company in that box of unfinished craft projects. I certainly haven’t perfected any of my resolutions. I am a work in progress and I take a small measure of pride in that accomplishment.
Making resolutions is the fun part, fitting them into my life has always been a challenge. So here I am, it’s December 30, 2019 and I’m considering New Year’s resolutions with a different mindset than before. This happened with the realization I spelled out in the last sentence of the previous paragraph. I perceive gradual progress in all the things I’ve wanted to do perfectly. I recognize this achievement because the year 2020 is a bit of a banner year. It conjures images of “perfect vision.” Allow me to elaborate.
20/20 vision is a term used to express normal visual acuity measured at a distance of 20 feet. If you have 20/20 vision, you can see clearly at 20 feet what should normally be seen at that distance. My vision is no longer perfect. However, I recently got my driver’s license renewed and I’m happy to say that I can still pass the vision test to drive without corrective lenses. Another part of that driving test includes the ability to have acceptable peripheral vision or indirect vision. This is vision as it occurs outside the point of fixation or from the center of gaze. Now, don’t lose me here, I’m going to make a point that is at the center of this whole posting. I’m not trying to educate, I’m setting up a metaphor.
I’ve been writing my blog now for about six months and I resolve to find 20/20 every day of the coming year and to record those finds in my blog.
Myles Munroe was a Bahamian evangelist and ordained minister of the Kingdom of God. He was an author, speaker and leadership consultant who founded and led the Bahamas Faith Ministries International. He was chief executive officer and chairman of the board of the International Third World Leaders Association and president of the International Leadership Training Institute as well as the author of numerous books. He said, “I think that the greatest gift God ever gave man is not the gift of sight, but the gift of vision. Sight is a function of the eyes, but vision is a function of the heart.” I want to clearly see the good around me. I want to be able to identify the wonders of God’s creations. I want to unmistakably spot those times when I experience a tender mercy from God making sure to frequently check peripherally so I don’t miss a thing. I want to take every opportunity to encourage anyone in my sphere of influence.
I’m getting older and my vision and hearing are certainly not what they were in days gone by. Understanding that, I’ll make a concerted effort to get a little closer so as not to miss the good influence of others. I’m going to alter my blog slightly to include a section titled “20/20 Finds” and will record at the end of each day something I’ve noticed that is close to “perfect.” It will be something that brings me a clarity of thought, or causes my heart to feel peace, a reminder of happiness, something that reminds me of my purpose on this earth, something that reflects my divine nature. Along with that, I’m going to live the Word of Wisdom more perfectly than I’ve ever lived it. I’m going to study that law and honestly figure out where I need to improve and then pursue that ambition tenaciously. Helen Keller said, “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.” With that in mind, I want to see what isn’t there, but could be with a little imagination and creativity on my part. I want to see what could be, if I put forth some effort.
I invite you to look for the positive every day, rid ourselves of influences causing grief and sorrow. Here’s a link to the Word of Wisdom I referenced above, if you would like to join me in my quest for better health in body and mind. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/89?lang=eng
I read a quote by Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist, “Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” I don’t have time to be a dreamer. I’m in the last quarter of my century. I need to be aware of what is in my heart and act upon that. Personally, I need to be careful about tunnel vision. I have a tendency to become focused on accomplishing one thing so I can check it off my “to do” list. Doing that closes me off from other opportunities. Like Gigi Hadid, an American fashion model, I’ll have three daily goals: be nice, work hard, and make friends. And like Bob Marley who was a Jamaican singer and songwriter, I’ll flee from hate, mischief and jealously and will wake up and live.
What do you have planned for 2020?