The big picture

Ever since I can remember I have been fascinated with the ‘big picture’. No matter what my circumstances, perspective or situation, it is always enlightening to imagine it from a distance. I tend to see how things fit together, how they operate, and ways to intervene, that I had never seen before. I remember a teacher, years ago, talking about the difference in perspective of a chicken, pecking around the barnyard, and an eagle soaring over the canyons and mountains. I try to see myself, my situation, or my world from a more expanded perspective and, invariably, it gives me both relief and insight.
I believe the relief gives our bodies, mind, and spirit a break. When we are so caught up in the minutia of everyday life, our senses are on overdrive, scanning the environment and our minds for what needs to happen next. What dangers lurk in the unknown just ahead? To a certain extent, this is how we are wired up. At a very fundamental level, we are in survival mode watching for cause to fight, flee, or freeze. This is a taxing stance to maintain moment after moment, day after day, year after year. By the simple act of looking upwards, our systems are literally given relief and a more optimistic perspective is accessible.
The insight inherent in a broader view provides a glimpse of what’s possible. I love the quote from R.D. Laing that says “The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice. And because we fail to notice that we fail to notice, there is little we can do to change; until we notice how failing to notice shapes our thoughts and deeds.” When we attain a more expansive mindset, that openness allows new ideas and opportunities to flow more easily to us. Through training ourselves to step back and look at our lives from a distance, we continue to evolve into better, bigger, more open beings – more like the eagle than the chicken. Sounds good, doesn’t it?