I am that guy that loses car keys, wallets, and sunglasses in plain sight. My wife lovingly reminds me of where she last saw these important items. She also reminds me to always put them in the same place so that they are easier to find.
I get frustrated that I lose things so often. And maybe even more frustrating is that I overlook what I am looking even when it is in front of me.
For example, yesterday I was looking for the microphone headset I use for my job. I had worked from home last Monday and then attended training for the rest of the week, so I had not needed my headset. When I arrived at work this Monday, I couldn't find it anywhere. I checked my desk. I checked my backpack. I even went back home and did a quick scan of my bedroom and home office. It was nowhere to be found.
So I managed to get through the rest of my workday without needing to make or receive a call, but I knew that I could not pull that off forever.
I went home, still frustrated that I could not find what I am looking for. My wife asked, "Did you look in your backpack?" Of course, I looked in my backpack. That was the first place I looked.
Then my oldest daughter picked up my backpack, opened every single zipper, and pulled out the "missing" headset. Argghhhh!
But as I have been reflecting on this experience, I started wondering about what other things may be hidden in plain sight - not things that I have lost, but just things I did not know to look for.
Some of these solutions may be hidden from my view, but not hidden from the people I interact with. So I need to be ready to open my eyes to see the possibilities and open my mouth to communicate my needs so that others can lend me a fresh perspective.
Somedays I need to look far into the future. Somedays I just need to look a few feet in front of me. Sometimes I need to evaluate the mundane, everyday activities. Other times I need to press myself out of my comfort zone.
There are opportunities to grow, to encourage, to love, and to thrive all around us. The question is "Do we see what is hidden in plain sight?" And are we willing to open our eyes to see what is really possible?
My wife and kiddos drop clues about what they need and how they want to feel loved. As a husband and a father, I need to be a student of their love languages. I am the first to admit that I find this to be a challenging task!
I don't excel at all of the love languages, because I don't need all of them.
But when my wife talks about needing time with me, I do understand that she wants undivided, intentional," just-the-two-of-us" time. (Quality Time)
Some of my kiddos want hugs like they are a rare commodity. There are by the way. (Physical Touch)
Some of my kiddos light up the room with bright smiles when you talk about how great they did on a particular task or tell them they that look like a beautiful princess. (Words of Affirmation)
Some of my kiddos shower countless pages of colorful artwork on my wife and I. They wrap up 50 cent trinkets in homemade wrapping paper because the thought of the gift is more important than the cost of the gift (Gift Giving)
And I can't forget how my wife goes that extra mile to serve our family or when one of our littles sweeps the floor or washes the dishes without being asked. (Acts of Service)
All of the clues are hidden in plain sight. Clues that show how others are loving me and how they want to be loved.
I have taken a variety of personality tests and aptitude tests. But I find that I still discover things about who I am, what makes me tick, and how I can contribute to this world.
Sometimes, I lose track of what I actually bring to the table, both in regards to strengths and weaknesses, because I walk daily with myself. I view this world and how I live in it from the biased perspective of my own eyes, instead of from the eyes of others.
I encourage you today to take a step back and find some time to meditate on who you are. You may find out that what you have described as "nothing special" has been making a tremendous impact on the people around you.
Regardless of where you fall on the introvert/extrovert scale, we all need other people in our lives (at least to some degree). We don't operate well as isolated islands.
People are often hidden in plain sight as well. We have to be diligent to look for people whom we can invest in as well as people who are willing to invest in us.
But keeping your eyes open to the hidden, mysterious gems of life - that is good!
Let's keep the conversation going.
Thanks for stopping by!
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