My kitchen has those plastic countertops that are sort of supposed to look like mottled granite. Over the years it’s gotten scratched and cut and burnt. I also have furniture repair markers, because sometimes the only things I see when I look at those countertops are the scratches.

Recently I was having one of those days. I was working in the kitchen and the years of wear and tear on the counters were all I could see. Out came the markers. I colored over the burn mark and some scratches I can only imagine came from not using a cutting board.

My day progressed. I went back into the kitchen later and saw another scratch. I was on my way to do some laundry and decided I’d get the markers back out later and color in that scratch, too. Recovering perfectionist, right here.

So I put the laundry in, remade the bed and returned to the kitchen ready to find the scratch and cover it up.

I couldn’t find it.

Just a few minutes elapsed between the time when all I could see was the scratch and not being able to find it (despite looking quite hard).

How is this like your life?
What scratches are you fixated on, so strongly, that you’re missing the entirety of the countertop?
What supports you in shifting that view and seeing things differently?

It’s not always as easy as walking away for a moment…but sometimes it is.

When you notice yourself fixating on something, what else is there? How can you step back or pause so that you can see things differently?

There’s always more than just the scratch.