When I was reading The Noticer by Andy Andrews, there was this one part that really stuck with me—it was all about perspective. When the person asked, “What are we doing right now?” The response was pretty bleak: “We’re eating anchovies and canned sausages while sitting in the sand.” Doesn’t sound too exciting, does it? But then Jones flips it. He says, “I see it as us having surf ‘n’ turf with an ocean view.”
That moment hit me. Nothing about the situation actually changed—it was still just some salty fish, canned meat, and a patch of sand. But the way he framed it? Completely different. Instead of seeing lack, he saw something special.
And that got me thinking—how often do we get stuck in our own “anchovies and canned sausages” mindset? We see things exactly as they are, and sometimes, it’s not pretty. The stress, the exhaustion, the endless to-do lists… it’s easy to feel like we’re just barely making it. But what if we shifted how we see things? What if, like Jones, we looked at the exact same moment but from a different angle?
Think about it—chaos at work, kids running wild, a never-ending list of things to do. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But instead of focusing on the mess, what if we saw it as proof that our lives are full? That we’re needed, that we have purpose? A busy day can mean a productive one. A hard season can be one that’s growing us. The circumstances stay the same, but our experience of them shifts when we change our perspective.
Even those quiet, lonely moments—what if we reframed them? Instead of thinking, “I’m all alone,” what if we saw it as a rare moment of peace? A chance to reset? Maybe it’s not loneliness, maybe it’s solitude. Maybe it’s not struggle, maybe it’s preparation.
The more we practice this, the easier it gets. And no, it doesn’t magically make life perfect, but it does change how we feel about it. When we start looking for the good, the lesson, or even just a little something to be grateful for, life starts to feel different.
So next time life hands you a can of something you didn’t ask for, take a breath. Look again. There just might be an ocean view you hadn’t noticed yet.
