Welcome autumn! This is easily my favorite season of the year. Don’t worry, I don’t go pumpkin spice crazy, but I love the change of colors and the change of weather. It reminds me of the first time my wife and I came to visit Ashland. This month’s article is inspired by a talk I recently heard about reaching out to others, delivered by Christopher Sykes, MD, a local anesthesiologist.
A magnifying glass is a bi-convex lens that provides greater focus and detail by enlarging items due to the bending of light. However, for the magnifying lens to operate at full capacity there are some requirements. 1. The lens must be convex or reaching outward 2. The lens must be clean 3. The lens must stay in position and be fixed at a direct 90-degree angle to minimize distortion.
In order to capture the imagination of each of us being a magnifying glass, we first must be able to be convex to reach out to those around us. We can start small, and begin with our partners, families and friends. This reaching out can come from any source of contact. The goal is to genuinely share our gratitude, love, and appreciation for them. As we reach out, we will become better attuned to notice the needs of those around us. Then when they are ready, we can offer help that is needed, rather than assumed.
In order for our love to be shared genuinely we must be clean, or we must do it with feelings of sincerity. Any feelings of guile, deceit, or pretentiousness will ultimately obscure our lens and prevent a clear image. For us to be clean, we may need to forgive others, let go of old grievances, and perhaps embrace some needed personal changes.
Lastly, being fixed allows us to perform accurately and reliably. I have a pair of surgical glasses that I wear that give me 3.5x magnification of the area I’m working on. They are magnificent when they are working properly. However, about a month ago, I dropped them and the lens that held my magnifiers in place broke! Luckily, I have a backup pair just in case this type of situation occurs. Without the lens, the magnifier could not be fixed in place, and the glasses were incredibly worthless! Thankfully they were repairable and were fixed quickly. Many times the world can throw us curve balls that may knock us a little out of our fixed position. As we re-evaluate our position and set goals to remain fixed in the desire to help others, we can regularly apply needed changes and be constantly and consistently calibrated.
I hope we can all be a type of magnifying glass reaching out to others.
