Front Row Seats

There’s a reason people are willing to pay more for premium seats — they end up with a much better view of the performance. Most of my friends prefer to watch dance performances from the balcony. Not me, I like to sit in the very first row of the theater so I can see the dancers’ sweat and hear their foot stomps, at least when I’m watching modern dance performances. I admit that I prefer balcony seats to see the elegant forms created by classical ballets. Each seat choice provides both an advantage and disadvantage. People in our lives often view our lives from one of these two vantage points. Some friends, or even family members, notice our movements and patterns but might not be able to truly understand our efforts and emotions. They may not be close enough, or may not be looking closely enough, to see our capabilities, but they can still give us helpful information about the bigger picture. Others may be close enough to know us intimately. This can be extremely helpful at times, but sometimes it can be detrimental if they’re a bit too close to perceive the potential consequences of our actions. We need both types of advisors in our lives. Some of us are fortunate to have an advisor who possesses the rare ability to see from both vantage points. The trick is to understand and appreciate what each advisor offers, to not become angered by what they cannot see. While it’s true that some advisors muddy their advice with their own fears, we can still learn much from what they offer, just as we can learn from those who offer advice we choose not to follow. A surprising number of people get offended when we choose not to do what they think is best. If we take all the advice we are given and throw it into a “cauldron of thought” some things will combine to create something new, others will burn off completely, and a few will rise to the top of the pot. It’s up to us to stir all the ingredients and decide what to make from them.