Why Bother With a Different POV?

My point of view shifted yesterday. I am a landlocked individual, meaning, I run, hike and bike along the pathways and trails that follow our massive lake. I experience the beauty of the water from the land. But, all that changed yesterday when my husband and I launched our new pair of kayaks.

    A New View

Though Lake Pend Oreille is in our backyard, so to speak, we’ve never owned any watercraft for ourselves. We’ve played on the water in borrowed canoes, kayaks, and sea-doos. We’ve ridden on pontoons and motor boats and sailed with friends. But at the end of the day, we go home without the water toy.

For years, we’ve kicked around the idea of owning a pair of kayaks. First, my husband considered buying kits and building them in our garage as a winter project. But our garage is not heated and turning it into a warm place for him to work required too many expensive alterations to the building.  

Something else involved in making a purchase such as a pair of kayaks entailed agreeing on a style and a price. I leaned toward the more expensive and sleek models whereas my husband, the practical one of the two of us, considered the logistics. “We can’t transport a 17’ kayak on top of either of our vehicles,” he told me. Yes, someone had to consider how we’d transport these crafts once we actually owned them.

We often shopped online on Sunday afternoons for our elusive kayaks, but agreed we both preferred to see and touch our merchandise before buying it. So, last spring, we ventured out to explore our options in some of our favorite retail stores that cater to the outdoor adventurous. The inventory was so very limited everywhere that we went back home disheartened and without making any purchases.

But, we did not give up on our desire to own a pair of kayaks. Once again, this spring we discussed our budget, along with the size, and the style of kayaks. When I pointed out a pair at a local retail store my husband smiled at me. “I think I suggested these a few years ago and you wanted something different.” 

“Oh well, I am entitled to change my point of view about things aren’t I?” 

And so I did. I changed my point of view in more ways than one. 

We purchased the kayaks and launched them yesterday, the first hot summer day. Because I’d altered my point of view about the kind of kayaks I wanted, my point of view went from landlocked to a water level view. 

Why bother with a different POV? When we change our point of view, everything changes.