AT THE CENTER
- Gwen Henderson
- Jul 17, 2023
- 2 min read
AT THE CENTER
The plans were drawn. All options were selected, including the composite flooring that we had chosen for the screened-in porch to replace a twenty plus year old deck on the back of our house. The designer suggested that the flooring be installed in a modified herringbone pattern. Instead of the flooring pieces running straight from wall to wall, they would run diagonally and meet in the middle of the porch. We took a risk, lived outside of the box, and trusted the designer’s vision. If I didn’t like the look? – well there are always rugs available to cover bad decisions.
I was not at home the day the installation of the floor began. Upon arriving home, I didn’t stop until I got to the back door and looked at the floor. I loved the design but assumed the installer had used two different colors to create the look. I waited for my hubby to notice and say something. He said nothing. Unable to be silent any longer, I said, “I like the design but why two different colors?” To which he replied, “It is one color but depending on where you are standing, it looks like two.” With a bit of skepticism, I said, “Okay,’ and walked to the other side of the porch. He was right. I discovered over the next few days that the only place where both sides looked alike was on the centerline or at the heart of the porch.
Why the story of the porch? Each of us have been creatively designed and crafted. Everyone that we encounter looks at us from a different vantage point. Their initial impression might be what mine was of the porch…nice but. If they take the time and change their location, they might discover I look different. Only when or if they push through or if I allow them to get to the center of me (the heart) will they know the true me.
I am not one way or the other. I am one way AND the other which can only be fully known and appreciated by getting to the center. What is true for others encountering me is true for me and my encounter with others.
PONDER THIS THOUGHT—Assumptions like first impressions don’t have a high accuracy rate.
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