Embracing differences

The other day I bent down to pick something up off the floor when I started looking at the books on the shelf under our coffee table and got to thinking.

Jim & I have been blessed (and wise with our finances) to be able to take three major vacations. Two of which Jim made a little photo book for. Being a “scrapbooker” I have a travel scrapbook that highlights the same locations as Jim’s books. The funny thing is, our opinions on what to highlight about the vacations differ, greatly.

Jim’s pictures are almost all volcanic lava flowing. It must be a guy thing. My pictures from our trip to Hawaii are mostly beaches, blue sky, flowers, and waterfalls. My pictures from Australia are lots of water, blue skies, the Great Barrier Reef, and wildlife. Jim’s favorite Australia pictures are all of the Sydney Opera House. Really? Okay, I’m picking on Jim a little bit and I may have an obsession with beautiful blue skies and beaches!

Really, it’s that we have differing opinions. We’re different, we see things differently, and that’s okay. That is what makes each of us unique and our differences help the other person grow, as we grow together (not apart).

How about you?

Do you and your significant other have differing opinions? Perhaps you and your parents, or you and your children have differing opinions on certain topics.

Are you able to calmly voice your opinion and be respectfully heard by the other person? Are you allowing them the same option? Do you try to see things from their point of view?

It’s true that two people can look at the same thing and see it completely differently! Does that mean one of you is wrong? Not necessarily. You see, I can agree that the lava flowing was pretty cool and that the Opera House is a fantastic architectural example. Jim will agree that the beaches were white and the sky was colorful. You see, we can agree even when we have a different opinion of what was the most special part of our vacations.

When we try to see things from someone else’s perspective, they feel respected, and you may learn to appreciate something you hadn’t paid much attention to before. When we can appreciate each other’s differences, we can grow together, in harmony.

Peaceful harmony… that’s better than arguing and trying to prove your opinion is the right one anyday!

Have a fantastic weekend, and embrace those differing opinions.