“It was a beautiful sun-filled day. I had driven 300 miles to see her. She was ninety-four and had been in one room for close to eight months. I was her first-born grandson and she was so happy to see me. But after catching up, we sat in silence on the edge of her bed, and finally, she complained how gray a day it was.
I realized then that her one window hadn’t been cleaned in almost a year. When I said this, she chuckled, as only someone ninety-four can, and uttered with her Russian accent, “Got a dirty eye, see a dirty world.”
It is the same with our minds and hearts. For our very self is the one window we have into this life. And so often, we suffer the mood of a dirty window, believing the brilliant world gray. Perhaps the purpose of authentic relationship is to help each other keep our minds and hearts clear. Perhaps inner work is the ordinary art of window washing, so that the day is fully the day.”
~ Mark Nepo, from The Book of Awakening
Nepo’s story invites us to reflect on a simple, yet powerful truth:
The condition of the ‘window’ we’re looking through influences how we see, feel about, and greet the day, other people, our life and the world.
In other words, it influences everything.
(Other than that, it’s no big deal…)
What’s the condition of the window you’re looking through? How is it affecting your mood, your energy, and your experience of the day in front of you?