From the Executive Director - October 2023Perception is Reality – Perspective is Everything This summer seemed determined to present me with innumerable challenges on a personal level with friends and family members struggling with a range of illnesses, injury, depression, aging, financial hardship, relationship woes, and unwelcome change. The adage that how you perceive things is how you experience the reality of your life is true. But it isn’t always possible to cultivate a cheery, positive attitude of acceptance. In times of struggle or suffering, perspective becomes much more important than perception. A friend of mine was fine one day and undergoing chemotherapy for Stage IV metastatic pancreatic cancer two weeks later. My husband’s cousin took his wife and 6-month-old son to meet his family in Tel Aviv, fortuitously returning just two days before Hamas attacked. My daughter moved to France for a semester, where she sat safely on a beach far from her campus when a shooter came in and killed three people. These can be perceived as “luck” and lead to feeling “lucky”, but that does nothing to materially change one’s luck. What such incidents can do is change perspective, make us more grateful, and remind us not to sweat the little things. It’s easy to get mired in minutia and forget the big picture. As we head into the tail end of 2023, I challenge you to remove yourself from that trap and instead step back and take the 30,000-foot view. Recognize the things for which you are grateful, prioritize them in your daily life, and align your goals for 2024 to focus on them. Before you know it, daily frustrations will lessen, productivity will increase, and your perspective will inform your perception – and your reality. Sincerely, |