At lunch on Thursday, I was telling the guys in the newsroom about my baseball experience.

Last weekend at a Mississippi State game, I had the opportunity to sit behind home plate.

I remember as a teen enjoying the game when my brother played here on the city fields.

Yet, outside of those games, I really never got into baseball.

Not even when on a family vacation. My dad got tickets for us to go to a baseball game, in which then all-time homerun hitter Hank Aaron was playing.

The seats were in the nosebleed section of the stadium and all I remember were pop flies and strikeouts.

Not really exciting for me to watch.

However, at the game in Starkville, I began to think differently, because sitting behind home plate gave me a different perspective.

I could now see the ball making contact with the bat and then flying through the air right into the hands of an outfielder. I was so close I could almost feel the frustration in the batter who struck out and it was also easier for me to understand the calls made by the umpire when sitting directly behind him.

Merriam-Webster defines perspective as a point of view and when we see things from a different point of view — or seat in my case — our perspectives can change.

One of my favorite authors is American novelist Gregory Maguire.

The themes, of many of his novels were based on perspective — or should I say a different perspective.

Take for instance “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.” Maguire takes the well-known children’s story, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” and adapts the novel around the original story’s villain — the wicked witch.

And once a reader learns the “back story” of his main character — the green witch — their perspective of her may change since they get to know the story from her point of view.

I would like to think that this concept of looking at someone or something from a different perspective is one of the reasons Maguire’s story became the Broadway hit  “Wicked.”

And in addition to holding out judgment on those who may not look like us or act like us, it may also be prudent to stay open to different points of view when it comes to religious and political perspectives.

Because what I am learning is that while I may have a perspective or point of view, it is only when I am open to other positions that I grow.

Just like in the game of baseball. If I stay open to other perspectives, life will become more enjoyable.

Terri Cowart Frazier is a staff writer at The Vicksburg Post. Readers are invited to submit their opinions for publication.