A Matter of Perspective

After a long night of work, I grabbed the garbage and headed out to the dumpster as an excuse to get a bit of fresh air. I felt tired and sapped of energy after having spent the night caring for a woman and her newest son. As I tossed the bags in with the rest of the trash, I swept a glance over the surroundings and caught sight of a man sleeping at the entrance of the alley. I had seen this man before, often waking him as I maneuvered around his sleeping form in my journey to the clinic and I had never quite known how to respond to his presence. Some days I have looked at the empty bottles surrounding him and have ached for the difficult experiences he must have gone through in his lifetime. Other times I want to have the guts and the time to sit down with him and hear some of what must be thousands of stories packed away in his memory. At times I have wondered how much of his lifestyle is supported by taxpayers. And I have to admit that there are some days when I hardly even take note of his presence.
This morning, as I was surveying the scene, I saw a part of his life that no amount of privilege or money could buy, a part of his life that is because of his 'lack' of these things. He was waking up slowly, stretching his aching muscles and taking in deep drafts of fresh morning air, all the while, in front, above, and all around him was playing out a most beautiful dance of colours and clouds welcoming the rising sun. Imagine waking up to the sunrise and being able to watch it, all of it, just by opening your eyes.
I was watching this, and thinking to myself how I wished that I didn't have to be at work, how I wished that I could be out in the morning air watching with him the whole sunrise from beginning to end. How marvelous! Yet, in the same thought I was reminded of the blessing and opportunity that I had had that night, the chance to see a new life enter the world, the privilege of being entrusted to care for this child and his mother in the first hours of their life together, and I was reminded again of beauty and miracles I have opportunity to experience daily as well. It was a reminder that beauty, blessing, and privilege is in the eye of the beholder.