One the perils of having a career in academia is that you are never a thought away from your work. Physically, you may be at home, but your mind is constantly actively, thinking about THE RESEARCH. So, apart from the time when you are sleeping, you are never completely off you work. Even then, some still think about work in their dreams! 
So, I try to set aside Saturday mornings for my rest and relaxation. Usually I will read a book that is not related to my work, purely for relaxation and to take my mind off my research. Over the past six months or so, I am truly amazed by the number of books I have read. Today, I spent the time studying the bible and digging deeper into the statement I made in my previous entry, i.e. "everything in life is relative".
In his book, Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life, Charles Swindoll shared this story about a pretty sharp girl who had two problems common to many students: low grades and no money. She had to communicate both to her parents, who she knew would have trouble understanding. After considerable thought, she used a creative approach to soften the blows of reality and wrote:
Dear Mom and Dad,
Just thought I'd drop you a note to clue you in on my plans. I've fallen in love with a guy named Jim. He quit high school after grade eleven to get married. About a year ago, he got a divorce. We've been going steady for two months and plan to get married in the fall. Until then, I've decided to move into his apartment (I think I am pregnant). At any rate, I dropped out of school last week, although I like to finish college sometime in the future.
On the next page, she continued: Mom and Dad, I just want you to know that everything I've written so far in this letter is false. NONE of it is true. But Mom and Dad, it IS true I got a C in French and flunked Math. It IS true that I'm going to need some money for my tuition payments.
So, even bad news can sound like good news if it is seen from a certain vantage point. Hence, so much in life depends on "where you're coming from" as you face your circumstances. The secret, of course, is perspective! The American Heritage Dictionary, which defines perspective as follows: A mental view or outlook; the relationship of aspects of a subject to each other and to a whole (in the proper perspective); the ability to perceive things in their actual interrelations or comparative importance.
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My former principal once shared this quotation on the power of having a right perspective:
“Two men look out the same prison bars; one sees mud and the other stars.”
This was his explanation: Both men were stuck in the same situation. Both looked out, but the one who saw mud was looking down b'cos he was downcast, whilst the other who saw stars was looking up, towards the sky. Whilst our future and destiny are often out of our control, we still have a choice come what may. Particularly, when things don't go our way, which perspective would I embrace? Give Up or Look Up?
“I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars.”
- Og Mandino -
