Every now and then and in the course of my daily driving, I notice the words written on the side mirrors that read, “OBJECTS IN THE MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR.” The objects really are closer than they appear and I am glad they are there for our use.
If you inspect both side mirrors on your car, you will find out that the driver side mirror is planar, while the passenger side mirror is convex or u-shaped. The driver side mirror, being planar, does not alter the size of the object; it looks about the same size in the mirror as it would if you turned your head around and looked at it directly.
For the passenger side mirror, a planar mirror would not do, since it is further away from your eye, it would be very limited in the range of vision it provides. So, we need either a huge mirror (not a good alternative) or a mirror that can ‘compress’ images to that smaller size. The convex mirror is the tool that does the job of ‘compression’. And just like the back of a spoon, anything in a convex mirror looks smaller than its actual size.
And what about the rear-view mirror — it shows who is behind us and helps guide some of our driving decisions. We also have the front glass to see what is ahead of us and it also helps in driving decisions. However, don’t keep staring at the mirror too long, or you might fail to see what’s in front of you; I found so many parallels to life that these mirrors serve.
Life and time flies by and we never stop to smell the roses or take in our surroundings until we wake up one day and realize that things are different. And sometimes when listening to older songs we sit back and reminisce about what we feel were the good ole days. Well, it’s never too late to start enjoying life, in fact, you can start today! Because one day, TODAY will be looked upon as a “good ole’ day.”
Life isn’t stagnant. One, four, eight years isn’t very long in the grand scheme of life, but it’s enough to realize some of life’s nuances. Change happens. And if we are stuck looking out the side mirrors or the rear-view mirror we will miss out on what is ahead. Open up your view of the world and look beyond the present. Dream the impossible! Establish your stretch goals and reach out and grab them. And give your life the happiness and significance it deserves!
Photo Credit
“Objects in Mirror” by spcbrass on Flickr
Recent Phyllis Wilson Articles:
- Dear Wayne
- What Is Your Greatest Strength?
- The Purpose of Life is a Life of Purpose
- Have You Checked In With The Person In The Mirror Lately?
- Soul Food
Thanks Phyllis,
One of my favorite sayings is: ” It doesn’t matter whats behind you, all that matters is what’s in front of you”
On balance (because the past is after all instructive) I really think there is great wisdom in this.
Cheers,
Gil