Through the Buttonhole

Perception is everything. How a person perceives the world around them is entirely based upon the filters they are looking through. How a person chooses to react to that perception of the world tells you everything about who they are, where they've been, and where they are headed.

In my never ending quest to balance classy with creepy (in fabulous shoes), I decided that I would be Coraline's Other Mother for Halloween. I also knew that the whole costume would fully depend upon whether or not I could pull off the button eyes. After much experimenting, I finally decided that using spirit gum to attach buttons directly to my face was the only way I could properly do it.



I was very happy with the way the costume turned out, and could actually see more through the buttonholes than I had anticipated. Unfortunately, my depth perception and peripheral vision were severely compromised. Simply put, I had a very narrow view of the world. I was fascinated.

What a grand social experiment, to view the world through the holes of a button, to see how my perception of the world changed based on how I was seeing things. Indeed, the world around me went through some interesting changes.

I moved a little more slowly yet with more purpose. My actions were more thought out and a bit more planned. Mentally, I felt somewhat stunted. Without my peripheral vision, I couldn't tell if someone who wasn't in my direct line of vision was talking to me or someone behind me. There were several times I responded to questions that were being posed to someone else. I was a little dizzy and a little confused. My perception of the world around me had changed because my circumstances had changed.

Dorothy may have gone to Oz, and Alice may have gone through the looking glass, but last night, I went through the buttonhole. I had the opportunity to shift my perception, have the experience, then remove the buttons, and return to my normal viewpoint. I actually felt fortunate to have the ability to take away the buttons and see my world as I had only a few hours prior. It was a relief to remove the filter I had been looking through and find Tank Girl, Everett, a sexy kitten, a ghostbuster, and my "crazy" boyfriend all standing there chatting and laughing... exactly as my memory was waiting to find them.

In short, perception is a tenuous thing. Even the most minor changes in one's mental or physical setting can severely distort one's perception of reality. Many times, if we were able to take a step back, stop pointing fingers and casting blame, and instead question our own perceptions, we might be able to avoid some of the dizziness and confusion in our lives. We cling to a perceived reality as if there is no possible alternative, without realizing that sometimes all we need to do is remove the buttons.