Perception

    Today while painting with friends I noticed that the paint color looked different the longer and more closely I looked at. I was painting with a light gray and light yellow. After looking at the paint so long, I started to perceive the yellow and gray as closer to white. I was so convinced that my perception was reality that I asked my roommate when she walked in “does this even look yellow to you?” Surprised by my question, she responded “yeah, it definitely looks yellow.” Because of this, I began to think about how often when we are close to things (physically, emotionally, ect.) it changes our perception of them. We no longer see the thing we are close to objectively and as it truly is.

    This realization caused me to wonder about how our proximity to and time spent with various things or people often affects our view of it’s beauty.  Often I find that when I find something beautiful, like a painting for example, and introduce it into my daily life (i.e. putting it in my room), I am no longer enraptured by it as I once was. Even upon intentionally pausing to look at it and admire it, I do not get that same feeling as I did upon first glance. Somehow, because it’s become a part of my everyday, some of it’s charm has faded and cannot be recaptured.     I begin to take it’s beauty for granted.

    Conversely, I find the opposite is true with close friendships. The more time I spend with a close friend and the closer we become in proximity, the more beautiful they and their friendship become to me. Despite the knowledge of the yucky, imperfect things I come to know about them (their faults, mistakes, tendencies) somehow I always find them more beautiful. Being open and fully known, with nothing hidden or withheld,  is such a powerful and beautiful thing. I pondered why it is that I view friends as more beautiful when I know them in all their weakness as well as their strengths, and it’s not the shortcomings and mistakes that I perceive as beautiful. No, the beauty is in their story, in their trust, and in the great hope of redemption available to each one, no matter their story.