Tag: Experience

What Do You See?

Even though we are all human beings, we see things differently. Each of us has a very different perspective. Our minds have been shaped differently due to genetics and life experiences. Even someone’s personality can play a role in what they take in from their surroundings.

You could put several people in a room and have them examine a picture or video and you would get many different views on what the image or video was about. We all come from many different walks of life and when presented with something we will tend to see it based on our past experiences.

Examine This Picture

Picture #1. What is your first reaction when seeing this photo? There may be a few ways that you are perceiving this image:

  • A man who has just gotten some terrible news
  • Someone who is hearing the most beautiful voice sing his favorite song
  • A gentleman who is watching a movie in awe
  • A person who has just told a secret that he was not supposed to tell
  • Someone who is grieving the loss of a loved one

As you can see there is a mix of both positive and negative perceptions. Several people can look at the picture above and give you a completely different answer.

Picture #2. Now, let’s examine this image. Instantly a few perceptions may come to mind:

  • A woman who is upset, but is trying to hide it
  • A lady who is enjoying the sights of nature
  • Someone who is waiting impatiently outside for her loved one
  • A lady who is lost in deep thinking
  • Someone who is content and has found a moment to relax

Isn’t It Interesting?

There are many ways to interpret what we see in this world and depending on who you ask, you will most likely get a wide variety of answers.

Another interesting thing worth noting is that sometimes our mood can affect what we see. If we are feeling down or pessimistic, we might be drawn to more negative realizations. When we are feeling happy, our conclusions may be more from a positive standpoint.

Communication

Everyone having different viewpoints is another reason why communication is so very important. We can all go through an event in life, and we will describe it differently. We have all had unique experiences that have shaped the way that we see the world.

Without proper communication, we may start to assume that we know about someone or something when in actuality it is far from what we perceive it to be. Looks are very deceiving and therefore we need to rely on communicating so that we can understand what the other is experiencing.

Mini Experiment

Just for fun, examine Picture #1 and Picture #2. What conclusions can you draw from each? Maybe some of you have thought of the perceptions that I mentioned and perhaps you have a very different approach to the meaning behind these pictures!

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My First Time Camping Overnight Was My Last

Many years ago, I was finally about to experience my first camping trip. I had always wanted to see what camping was all about. There are always fun stories being shared and so much to do, it was something that I wanted to try.

There was a group of us at work that were talking about taking a weekend trip to the mountains a couple of hours away. A few of them had been to this particular campground before, so they knew the ins and outs, which made me even more comfortable. We were all so excited and ready for an adventure in the mountains!

I Double-Checked

I am a very anxious person. I have been told time and time again that I hide it well because people are shocked to hear me say that I am always anxious. I feel like I am all over the place, but from outward appearance, I guess that is not the case.

Anyway, given me and my anxiety, I double, triple, and quadruple-checked where we would be staying the night on our camping trip. I was told by one of the gentlemen going on the trip that we had all chipped in to get a cabin.

I was relieved to hear the word cabin because you would never find me sleeping outdoors in just a tent, I would be terrified! We all made food and packed paper plates, napkins, and plastic utensils. We made sure to bring enough snacks, water bottles, and some delicious desserts.

The Day Had Come

The plan was for me to pick up one of my friends that I worked with, and we were going to drive down to the campground together. The other people in the group were all going to meet up and drive together and we would all meet there.

Excitement was all that you could see on my face as I drove to pick up my friend and head to the campground for my first camping experience. We had a blast together listening to music and talking. About two hours later, we made it to the camp!

Our Friend Gave Us a Tour

We unloaded most of our belongings. The view was breathtaking, we were deep into the woods, surrounded by large hills, a lake, and a little Visitor’s Center. Our friend, who we will call Dave, was the guy that knew this place like the back of his hand, so we let him tour us around.

Our first stop was the outhouse, I had never used one before, but that was about to change. It had a burning candle, smelled horrendous, and a small roll of toilet paper lay on top of the wooden board.

Next up was the cabin. As we approached the cabin, my jaw dropped in shock, and then the fear set in. Yes, this was a cabin, but it was not the type of cabin that I had in mind.

This cabin was completely open on both sides! The front and back had a wooden frame that you could walk through, there was no door. The windows had no glass. Technically, in my eyes, this was worse than a tent, because at least with a tent there is coverage all around. This was completely open!

Panic Set In

One of my worst fears is being outside in the dark, it never used to bother me, but it creeps me out to no end now that I am older. Maybe I have watched too much TV, but all that I can think about is wild animals attacking me, or even humans with bad intentions approaching me. There goes my anxiety again.

I tried to get myself together and I was determined to make the most out of my trip. I asked my friend if he would take us to explore the fun adventures that this campground had to offer, and I thought that maybe it wouldn’t be as bad as I pictured it in my mind. I can do this, I thought to myself.

We Got Our Feet Wet

There was so much to explore here! We went hiking up the large dirt hills and we found fossils. We couldn’t believe the shell prints that we found in some of the rocks. There was a lake nearby, we went out on the water in Dave’s boat. He did some fishing and we all just sat and enjoyed the sun, fresh air, and the beauty that surrounded us.

We got into some camping activities and Dave taught me how to use a slingshot, I had never used one before. It was just for fun, and I was aiming it at the lake, but I’ll never forget that. Also, one of the other people with us was showing us how to melt glass in the campfire. It would come out in the oddest shapes and reminded me of dried maple syrup.

After all of the fun, we were hungry and thirsty. We decided to unwind for the night with some good food. We sat around talking and laughing, sharing stories as we made s’mores by the campfire.

I had finished my dinner and I saw a bag full of plastic water bottles and I put my paper plate in that bag. I then heard one of my friends yell “stop!” I had never camped before, and I was completely unaware that even plates with no food left on them will attract bears, not to mention other animals because of their incredible sense of smell. Anything with a trace of food on it needed to be burned in the fire. I was mortified to hear that bears were even this close to us, I guess I shouldn’t have been, considering this was a mountain.

I Was Being Tested

My first trip to the outhouse was a memorable one. The smell was so foul, and I shared my little space there with flies and even a few spiders.

 We had spent so much time enjoying the campground that I hadn’t even checked my phone, but nightfall was approaching. I went to get my phone out of the car and to my surprise, there was no service. We were so far into the mountains that our phones didn’t work. I started to worry, there was no way that we could reach out or have anyone reach us.

My heart was racing at the fact that we were all about to spend the night in a wide-open “cabin” and the thought of not having any service just made me feel incredibly uncomfortable. What if we needed help?

Nightfall

Night had come and it was time to lay down in our “beds” made of blankets. The campground was very dark, some lampposts were overlooking the lake which gave us some light and we had some very dim lighting around the cabin area itself, but the majority of the area was like looking out into a sea of darkness.

All that I could imagine was an animal coming down from the woods or out of the lake and stepping foot inside our cabin. After all, there was nothing there to stop them. We were fresh meat. The first part of the night was quiet. That was about to change.

I Will Never Forget the Noises

Sleeping on a campground, at least this one, was incredibly noisy. I was scared out of my mind and my heart was racing the entire night. I didn’t sleep a wink between hearing the bullfrogs in the lake, and the footsteps of animals that I couldn’t even see. I could hear some sort of animal trying to get into the trash can. I just kept praying for our safety. I kept hearing an animal make a grunting noise and I could hear heavy breathing.

The sounds still play in my head today, I was completely mortified. I felt so vulnerable, and I was truly afraid for my life. It is somewhat funny now looking back on it, but it sure was not funny at that moment.

This Trip Taught Me Something

I have gone on many camping trips during the day since this one, however, after that night I vowed to never spend the night again on a campground. Half the fun is missing when you don’t spend the night, but the fear that I felt that night will prevent me from ever doing it again.

I did learn a lot from this trip. I was forced to face my fears that night. Yes, I was completely uncomfortable, and as difficult as that was for me when the sun had risen the next morning, I felt like I had won. I faced a massive fear of mine.

I was upset at Dave for not being completely honest with me about the layout of the cabin, but I know that if he was, I would have never gone. All of the fun memories that we made during that trip wouldn’t have happened. I will cherish those memories for the rest of my life. Besides the experience at night, this camping trip was one of the most amazing experiences that I have ever had with an amazing group of people.

I Miss You, Dave

Sadly, Dave passed away a few years ago. My heart still breaks, I have so many memories of him and his passion for life. I will never forget the night that he pushed me to face my fears, the night that he showed me what I can learn about myself and life if I just live a little and not let my anxiety get the best of me. I will never forget the night that Dave believed in me when I didn’t even believe in myself. I miss you, Dave. Thank you for all that you taught me.

My First Psychic Reading

I have been highly intuitive my whole life, so I am a big believer in people who have psychic abilities. I have been able to predict events before they happen and even sense events that are happening at that very moment. I can look at objects or people and get feelings about them, most of which end up being accurate at least to some degree. I am not new to this ability, however, what was new for me, was going to my first psychic reading!


I have always wanted to have a psychic reading done, but I was always too scared about what they might reveal to me. I was also weary of the possibility that there could be a lot of scammers out there who will give you a bogus reading and run with your money.


It took years of building up the courage to call and make an appointment for a session with a psychic. I did a lot of research and read many reviews until I found a lady, who I will call Joyce to protect her identity. I read Joyce’s profile and I resonated a lot with her background and way of being. It was like she was almost a bonus psychic because her profile had that she was also a Medium, meaning that she can connect with those that have passed on.


I nervously reached for my cell phone and started dialing her phone number, I put my phone down several times before I finally called her. I left her a message and a few minutes later she ended up calling me back. We chatted on the phone for about 15 minutes, and we had a great vibe, ironically, she ended up picking up things about me even over the phone, so I was pleasantly surprised, and I felt that this was at the very least not a scam.


After we finished talking on the phone briefly, she went over the terms and conditions of our future meeting, Joyce went over what to expect at the reading and what she is and isn’t able to do so that everything was clear before I made an appointment. This was another thing that made me feel comfortable, she took the time to make sure that everything was laid out so that there were no surprises. We then set up a date to meet for my first psychic reading.


A few days had passed and the date of my first psychic session was quickly approaching, I pondered many times about the thought of canceling my appointment, but I kept up the courage to leave everything as it was. Less than a week later, the day had come. I remember making the one-hour drive to the holistic store that she worked in, it was a cold and dark winter night, which added to the feel of the night.


I parked my car and went inside. There was the smell of burning incense in the store along with many lights and decorations everywhere. There was a section of books and crystals. There was even a cat inside to add to the ambiance. I felt relaxed here and all of my worries started to fade. I met Joyce and she took me to a back room that was quiet and cozy. We each sat down on a sofa, and we started to talk like old friends.


Joyce let me know that I could ask her specific questions if I wanted, but that if I didn’t have anything to ask, she said that the feelings would just come to her as we spoke. I did have a few questions…Was I going to find love? How many children was I going to have? What sort of career will I end up having? I also just sat patiently and let her tell me what energy she was feeling from me.


It has been a couple of years since my first psychic reading, and I can tell you that so far everything that Joyce said has been correct. I am in awe of this gift and ability from above. She was also able to channel my deceased loved ones, including my grandmother who was so dear to my heart. Joyce was able to tell me things about my grandmother and our inside jokes that no one in this world could have possibly known. I was in shock, tears streaming down my face. She also brought up things from my past, knew my personality traits and interests, and was able to mention my hopes and dreams. There’s no way that she could have known any of this.


I am so glad that I had the courage to have this experience. If I had let my fear and anxiety take over, I would have never been able to receive all of the lovely messages that she had for me. I would have never learned that there are people that truly have a very beautiful gift that they want to share and not just people out to scam somebody. I know the idea of having a psychic reading is a little farfetched for some, but this story can be applied to everyday life in general. Try not to let your fears hold you back, you never know what you might discover.


Have you ever had a psychic reading done? Was it accurate? I would love to hear about your experiences!