It's All Relative

On Friday, my mother in law in New York told me "We had such a beautiful day here today, we just wanted to be outside, it was sixty degrees!"  "Wow," I told her, "you're really lucky.  Here it was freezing, the kids didn't even want to go out at all, it was sixty degrees!"

This of course made me laugh.  It also made me think of how much our perspective affects our reality.  When we were told as kids to eat our brussel sprouts because there were children starving in Africa, that didn't help us stomach the taste at all, because in comparison to our other food the brussel sprouts had no taste.  Nor did it help the starving children in Africa, but that is another matter.  The same applies to the toys we received as kids, we loved it until a friend had a better toy.

My kids ask me all the time if things are "a lot of money."  If we're shopping for lego, (which we do quite often, by the way,) they will ask, "is 10 dollars for a ninjago a lot of money?"  Well, that depends, I say.  For some people its pocket change, and for others it's a week of food to feed their family (again, Africa.)  I try to explain to them the concept of "value" and of buying what you can afford.  But I think it will take time before they can understand that affordability is relative.

There are many other examples we discuss of relativity.  I tell them the story all parents tell their children, about how we used to walk two miles to school in the freezing snow, backwards and uphill both ways.  By comparison they should be thankful all they have to do is keep their rooms clean and brush their teeth.  But I don't think they completely understand, and they think I'm exaggerating about my walk to school.

I remember when we first moved to LA, I was amazed on a daily basis that wherever I drove, I would see palm trees and mountain tops.  I loved that it almost never rained, and even when it did the some came out at least once a day.  And I was amazed that people would stay home because "it's raining."  If it rained for two days in a row, no one could believe how bad the weather was.  Drivers slowed down as if it was a snow storm.  Now, a little over two years in, I have become used to this weather, and not only do I not feel calmed by the palm trees, I slow down my car when it's raining, and I even try not to go out in the rain if I don't have to!

So now I know with certainty that my perception is relative, and it can even change as what I am used to changes.  One person's rain is another persons snow.  One mother's beautiful day is another mother's freezing.