Is the grass always greener?

I read a quote the other day. It read: "We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses." -Abraham Lincoln

It caught my attention that day because I had been thinking a lot about how life is what you make it. Life has a lot to do about your persepective on situations and experiences. On this particular day, I was feeling kind of down in the dumps. It was one of those days where something just felt off, where worries seemed to creep in on my every thought.

That day I really didn't feel like going to class. I just felt like cuddling up on the couch all day watching movie after movie, avoiding the real world. But, if you know me....you know I didn't skip class..... :)

When I got to class, I noticed that someone had taken my seat. You know, that seat that you sit in on the first day and then mentally claim as yours because it's a spot that makes you feel half way comfortable in a room full of strangers? Well, that spot of mine, was filled by a butt that wasn't mine. So, I casually went to the back of the room on the far right hand corner. (Probably stealing someone elses "seat").

As I sat there in class, I thought about how the view point seemed so different in this particular spot. How I saw the teacher was different, the people surrounding me were different. It may sound funny, but this particular situation made me think about life. Maybe when we are having a bad day, we can mentally try and switch spots. By switching spot, we can try and look at the room (or life) from a different perspective, from a different view.

I know, switching our thinking isn't as easy as it sounds. It's hard to try and cheer yourself up. So, maybe when you switch seats, sit next to a new person, or someone that can share what they see from their view.

A speaker recently told the audience to shut there eyes and try to remember what was red in the room surrounding them. He told them to keep their eyes shut for awhile a really think about the area. When he said to open their eyes, he said, "If you're not looking for the color red, it's sometimes hard to notice, but when you have your eyes open and are purposely picking items that are red, it's a lot easier." That kind of applies to life. If you go around looking for good, postive things with your eyes open they'll pop out more. If you keep your eyes shut, stay in one spot, and focus in on the "non red" items, you might miss out!

Are you complaining because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoicing because thorn bushes have beautiful red roses?