The Man Who Needed New Eyes To See

Thanksgiving reminds me of a story. A story about learning to see things with new eyes. Often times people simply need a new perspective about things in order to change their lives. If we could all remember to see things differently, every day would be a new adventure. Here is the story of the man who needed new eyes to see.

Once upon a time, a fisherman came down with a horrible disease that caused him to become bored and tired with his life. He would spend hours upon hours searching for new things and new ideas to keep him happy and content. He would talk to the greatest minds of his day trying to learn new things and be entertained by new ideas.

To no avail, this fisherman could not find anything to appease him and keep him content in his life and his surroundings. People of his village began to wonder if this young man had become mad. They called for the doctors of the village and all the wisemen to come and evaluate this young man and help him overcome his restlessness.

After weeks of evaluating this young man, nothing could be found that was wrong with him. Yet the young fisherman was still restless and continued to search for new landscapes and adventures. Again, to no avail, he remained restless and bored with his life because everything seemed old and useless to him.

One day while the young man was wondering around the town with a frown on his face, an old hunch backed man with a sack on his shoulders wondered into town. Thinking that he had found something new and entertaining, the young fisherman went to this old man and began to question him.

"Where do you come from?" Asked the young fisherman.

"A place not as beautiful as this." Replied the old man.

"Why do you walk with such a limp?" Asked the fisherman.

"Because time has worn away my body, but not my spirit." Replied the old man.

The questions went on for hours upon hours and before long, the fisherman became bored. As he began to walk away, the old man asked the young fisherman why he was wondering so aimlessly with no place to go and nothing to accomplish.

The fisherman explained to the old man how he had become bored and was unable to discover anything new and exciting in his life. He told the old man of how he had wondered the entire village and all around it as well as talked to every person, including the educated and wise, and was still unable to find anything new.

The old man listened intently to the young mans story and smiled as the young man finished.

"You need new eyes!" The old man exclaimed.

"New eyes? My eyes are perfect." Replied the young man.

"It's not about your eyes being good or bad, but in learning to see new things through the same eyes. You look at the world and see the same things because you haven't learned to see with new eyes." The old man explained.

Many of us live our lives the same way. I can't tell you how often I hear people make the statement, "same old crap different day." It's not the same old crap different day because nothing is ever the same, and nothing stays the same.

Have you learned to see the world through new eyes? Have you learned to look at the "same old crap" with a new perspective? Have you learned how to open you eyes, and your mind, to new possibilities with the same tools and situations.

Learn to see with new eyes, to view the world from a new stand point, and you will be amazed at the things you never noticed before. If things are the same as they have always been, it's because you haven't taken the time to learn how to be inspired. To see things anew and allow them to inspire and motivate you.