A Room with a View

“Close your eyes!” my husband, Jean-Claude, said after I came home from a poetry writing workshop. I did as he asked, and he led me into the living room of our condominium. “Now turn around and sit down,” he said.

With my eyes still closed, I felt the back of the new couch he had set up while I was out of the house and gently sat back on the cushion beneath me.

“Now open your eyes!” he exclaimed.

I did, and found myself looking directly out the window at the San Diego Bay facing the island of Coronado in the distance. Our old couch had been turned the opposite way, so with the position of the new couch, we could now see our beautiful view.

“Look at all the sailboats dotting the water,” I told Jean-Claude with delight.

“Now we can watch boats instead of the television,” he said.

Even though we live with the reality of my severe mental illness, and all the care that takes, it doesn’t mean we can’t occasionally change something to give us a new perspective. Even a simple change in how we approach the difficulties can sometimes lead to a much better view.