My husband watches a lot of sports on television. Me, not so much.

This truth became significant when we were building a house several years ago. The architect’s plans included a  “keeping room” that placed a small seating area adjacent to the kitchen, allowing “family room time” and “meal prep time” to occur in roughly the same space. (Let’s face it. We recognized that “meal prep time” is the most consistent activity at our house!) Because the Keeping Room is rather, shall we say cozy, maximizing seating for television viewing was quite a challenge.

And so we came up with the brilliant idea of positioning a Cathy Chair across from the sofa and out of TV viewing range. This arrangement suited me fine, as I imagined myself spending long hours stretched out reading, knitting, writing—not giving one hoot about whatever hockey match/golf tournament/pro football game was on television. (Do let me say college football is another matter altogether.)

Great idea, right? Except that I never sit in that chair. Never, ever.

Well, tonight, home alone, I wandered into the Keeping Room, book in hand. I spotted that fabulous chair, with the ottoman, and the perfect reading light, and the little table, and I plopped myself right down. And this is what I thought as I looked at the oh-so-familiar room from a slightly different angle:

This room is so pretty. How I love those windows. What a nice place this is, to sit.

And that got me to thinking about perspective, and how fresh and new the world looks when you simply shift your point of view.

A happy little surprise, in my quiet little house, on this ordinary Tuesday. Today’s grace.

30 Days of Grace II