Speaking of “playing the game,” one of the things I enjoy doing is both playing and watching…at the same time.
Say, you are in a fight with your teenager about whatever people fight about with their teenagers.
It’s intense and unpleasant. You’re frustrated.
But, at the same time, while you are screaming, you are saying, “oh, so this is one of those times when we are going to be looking back at the time we were fighting with each other.”
It’s not quite perspective in the sense of “oh, this isn’t really a big deal,” because it is. It’s more of “I see which scene I’m in in the story right now.”
Not sure I did a great job of explaining this, but maybe an example will help.
I was reading the Berenstain Bears to the kids the other night.
All three of them were listening (unusual since Tonka is normally reading on her own).
We were all snugging on Nadia’s bed enjoying the story.
As I was reading them, I made a conscious effort to stroke the scalp and back of each kid, savoring how they felt at that particular, fleeting moment in time, and I watched myself, as if a spectator, being a father who was cherishing the moment in a private way.
Maybe everyone does this, I don’t know, but I wanted to share it.
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