Lately, I've been swimming in business classes. The creative
part of my brain had momentarily atrophied until recently, when I read a book
called The Noticer. In it, Jones, an old man of indescribable age and ethnicity
appears to people in moments where they see their life with too narrow a lens.
He shows them that life is only a matter of perspective. To the homeless boy
under the pier, Jones explains that sand can be fertile ground. To the twice-divorced
man who can only see what he doesn't have, Jones convinces him to stop letting
his history control his destiny. To the corrupt businessman who is retracing
his steps to make amends, Jones tells him that intention without action is an
insult to those who expect the best from you. And to the old grandmother who
feels her life has no purpose now that her husband and children are gone, Jones
helps her believe that no matter her age, physical condition, financial
situation, color, gender, emotional state, or belief, everything she does,
every move she makes, matters to all of us and forever.
I often, like most people, walk through life believing that
I see things as they are, that mine is the true perspective. I seem to know, by
heart, my faults, my failures, my misgivings, and my missteps. They whisper to
me that I often expect too much, push too hard, forgive too infrequently, and
do too little. But lately, I've met a few noticers who have forced my eyelids open to a broader perspective of
myself. These individuals have altered my steps a small but significant degree,
allowing me to stand taller and with more insight. With their help, the view is
new. And bright.
As Jones said, perhaps to me, "think, learn, pray,
plan, dream—for soon, you will become."
