She must have been three years old. She made the portrait of a man and marched in my father’s study. He looked at the picture indulgently as only a grandparent can and asked her why one of the man’s eyes was huge while the other was tiny. She answered, with the gravity and confidence that she has always possessed, “His eyes are like that!”

Other people’s perceptions and opinions are often contrary to our carefully nurtured views and we often choose to overlook, dismiss or ignore it. I am often surprised when I find that the next person’s takeaway from a situation is diametrically opposite to mine (as is the case in every family). Why can everyone not benefit from my superior counsel? 😊

We are all worried by the pandemic and yet everyone’s reaction is different. Some are working harder (in the home office and the office) and happy while many are feeling bored and stifled. While one person wants the gated community to allow helpers in because she is tired of managing housework with ‘working from home’, the other’s physical limitations do not allow him to manage the daily activities effectively. My neighbour, a phenomenal cook, wants food delivery to be safer because she is tired of cooking while I, an occasional and mediocre one, am okay baking cookies that I never do. It is imperative to walk in someone else’s shoes to understand that the contrary point of view is rooted in reality.

In these tough times, the generosity of spirit shown by people helping those in need is heartwarming. I am hoping that the insights we are gaining, about our neighbours, will allow us to be mindful of their limitations even after the lockdown is over. It is what it is.

All trees are not green. I remember a teacher’s comment from my daughter’s nursery school interview. She was aghast that my child had colored the tree orange. In the US, trees in Fall are often orange. Someone else’s reality.