A Moment of Clarity

Happy Monday! Oh, don’t grumble. Monday is a day like any other – we choose to make it what it is. Today, I choose to make it happy… no matter that I got stuck behind a garbage truck and then when I was free from that mess, the school bus in front of me stoped every 4.687 seconds to pick up more children and, consequently, I was late to work. I view it as: “Hey, I got to listen to Pandora THAT much longer!” Yes, I am – THAT girl – who sings at the top of her lungs in the car as if she were <insert your favorite singer here> and on stage.

So, back to the kitchen… no baked goods from this weekend. There was a crazy hot day on Saturday and we even put the air conditioners on for a few hours just to cool down and take the terrible humidity out of the air. But, I think I’ll make bread tonight – we’ll see. The events of the weekend had me thinking though, and my word of the day today is ‘clarity’.

Why clarity? Clarity is like… well, it makes everything make sense. Without clarity what do we have? Assumptions – which may or may not be right. Sometimes one may have ASSUMED clarity… which, is really just an assumption all dolled up in the pretty dress of clarity. You know, that time when you really believe that you understand and know how someone feels about an issue or subject, only to find out later that you, in fact, couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Sometimes getting to true clarity is frustrating and painful. I’m telling you, though, it’s WORTH it. I encourage everyone that if you THINK you know what someone’s elses point of view is, ask that question that may spur on a deeper conversation – which, in turn could lead to a deeper understanding. Try to understand not only what the person is saying to you, but WHY they are saying it. And, keep an open mind when they are telling you. It takes more than just hearing what they have to say… it takes accepting what they are saying, and if necessary, explaining your own point of view on the given topic. It can be a painful back and forth until you meet an even ground, or a compromise. However, when we understand the motivation behind someone’s intent or feelings, not only do we understand the situation better, but we learn more about the person. Isn’t learning more about the people we care about almost the point of relationships?

clar·i·ty

 /ˈklærɪti/[klar-i-tee]

–noun

1.

clearness or lucidity as to perception or understanding; freedom from indistinctness or ambiguity.

2.

the state or quality of being clear or transparent to the eye; pellucidity: the clarity of pure water.

What’s your word today?

Thanks for the coffee this morning… and here’s to fresh bread tomorrow! *cheers*