A Beet Smoothie and a Changed Perspective

While visiting my parents, my mom suggested making a Hot Pink Smoothie for breakfast.  I asked if she’d moved on from regular green smoothies. She laughed and said she thought I’d like it. Sounded fun. I love most smoothies.

 

I started working and then the Hot Pink Smoothie returned to mind. What was it?

 

“What’s in the Hot Pink smoothie?” I asked Mom.

 

She stopped and looked at me, her generally veggie-picky daughter. She knew what I was asking. “Beets make the smoothie hot pink.”

 

“BEETS?!?!?!” I despise beets! Yuck.

 

Mom, who is forever concerned about our nutritional intake, said she thought I would like it. She’d made a Hot Pink Smoothie for another anti-beet sister, Dionna, and said Dionna liked it.

 

Dionna happened to be downstairs, so I called to her. “Did you like mom’s beet smoothie?” She didn’t remember any adverse reaction to the beet smoothie.

 

I have a Fear Bucket List in play. I decided to add beet smoothies to the list and agreed to try Mom’s concoction. She put in the tiniest beet ever (which she displayed before its pulsed dissolution).

 

Dionna came upstairs to watch the scene play out and score some smoothie for herself.

 

Mom passed out mugs of beet smoothie. I tentatively took a tiny sip. I didn’t taste any slimy beets. Not bad! I drank my beet smoothie.

 

Mom made another round since the Hot Pink Smoothie was well-received by her kitchen full of houseguests.

 

While we drank our smoothies, we talked about perspectives that had changed throughout our lives and laughed.

 

Changed Perspectives

 

Here are a few that made us laugh:

 

My sister used to be embarrassed by her hole-y blue jeans as a kid, but now hole-y jeans are the trend.

 

She also used to feel embarrassed to wear her big headphones when everyone used little ones, but now it’s “acceptable” to use little or big headphones.

 

As a kid, she felt keen awareness of differences in established trends, but nowadays more things are acceptable. And she also doesn’t care about trends as much as she used to.

 

My dad said his perspective shifted because he thought when his kids got married, he could live off of them.Tough reality check, Dad.

 

Mom said, “I used to think 72 years old was a foot in the grave, but now age 72 is really pretty young. I still feel pretty good and still feel like I’m thinking the same as when I was 20.”

 

Anthony said, “I thought I was going to have hair my whole life and that didn’t happen.”

 

Besides conquering my fear of beet smoothies, my favorite moment was when mom jumped up and hugged Anthony and said she initially had the perspective that my marrying Anthony was a huge mistake. With tears in her eyes and still hugging him, she looked up at him and said she quickly discovered he was wonderful in every way. She’s expressed this before, but the moment was beautiful and brought tears to my eyes.

 

Ah, tender moments facilitated by a beet smoothie.

 

Eternal Perspectives

 

We talked about ideas we had about what life was supposed to look like that ended up being false or different than expected. In all cases, we adapted to the changed, real perspective, though changing our minds encountered varying degrees of resistance. We talked about how some perspectives really don’t matter much, but other perspectives affect us eternally.

 

One of my favorite stories of changed perspectives is King Lamoni’s father.  His perspective changed after hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

And it came to pass that after Aaron had expounded these things unto him, the king said: What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? Behold, said he, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy.

 

But Aaron said unto him: If thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest.

 

And it came to pass that when Aaron had said these words, the king did bow down before the Lord, upon his knees; yea, even he did prostrate himself upon the earth, and cried mightily, saying:

 

O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day.

 

King Lamoni’s father had an encounter with God that absolutely changed his perspective. He embraced the changed perspective. He believed differently. He ruled differently. He was altogether different.

 

Elder David A. Bednar taught how the gospel of Jesus Christ helps us gain a true perspective.

 

The gospel of Jesus Christ is a magnificent tapestry of truth “fitly framed” and woven together. As we learn and link together revealed gospel truths, we are blessed to receive precious perspective and increased spiritual capacity through eyes that can see the Lord’s influence in our lives and ears that can hear His voice. … I promise that increased perspective, purpose, and power will be evident in our learning and living of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ…..

 

It’s good to reexamine perspectives periodically. Meeting people with different perspectives, like Mom’s love for beets, tends to be the quickest way for me to examine and assess my perspective. I’ve also taken values that I say matter to me and examine how or if I really live them and why or why not. It’s a great way to gain clarity and make adjustments to achieve the goals I’ve set for myself and be the person I want to be.

 

So, all in all, Hot Pink Smoothies blessed my life this morning. I loved hearing my family’s perspective stories and considering my own.