My husband and I were out enjoying nature the other morning, and it made me think about how we see life. We came to a spot at a local bird refuge, and there was so much growing in the water that we couldn’t see through it. I had a new lens on our camera, and I wanted to get some good shots, so I was feeling a bit frustrated.
My husband kept saying that there was a clearing up ahead, but I couldn’t see it. After walking for awhile the growth started to lessen. Suddenly we broke through to an area where the lake became more visible. We couldn’t see everything, but we could see much more than earlier.
Sometimes we get so focused on what’s in front of us at the moment, that we forget what might be right around the corner. That can be wonderful if what you’re dealing with is something joyful, but what if what you’re dealing with something painful, frustrating, or scarey?
Like everyone else, I have hard times come into my life. When I’m in the middle of something like that, it’s hard to remember that this is not going to be the focus of my life forever. If I can remind myself that I’ve dealt with hard times before, and I’ve survived, it can be helpful.
Do what you need to do to help yourself go through your times of challenge, and while you’re doing that, remind yourself that change is a constant. Nothing ever stays the same. Life — and scenery — is constantly changing! Just when you think you can’t hold on any longer, you break through all the confusion, pain, and fear — and things start to smooth out.
Finally, we came to an area that was completely clear, and it revealed the bigger picture of the lake. It was there all the time! We just couldn’t see it for awhile.
If you are at a place in your life where you just can’t see an end to whatever you’re struggling with, try to stay patient, reach out for help, and then gently encourage yourself to just keep moving forward until things begin to clear.
Until next time,
Linda
Hi Linda, I really liked this post…it captured so well a couple of things that I think a lot about…mindfulness and mindsets. But what it reminded me of that I hadn’t thought of for a while was the Biophilia Hypothesis, which was work that I used when I was running a treatment facility for girls on a large (very beautiful) estate in New Jersey. What got me thinking about this was that I noticed that your first picture (the one that was more obstructed) for me was more interesting than the second picture, “the big picture of the lake.” Biophilia Hypothesis is a collection of research about the healing/therapeutic relationship we have to nature. There is a chapter in there that talks about how because primitive man lived on the savannahs of Africa that it is very satisfying for us to see a body of water in the distance, particularly if it is partially obstructed. I always found that idea interesting and true (we had a pond like that on that property) but I had forgotten about it until I looked at your two pictures. So thanks for the little respite with nature this morning and the chance to reconnect with ideas that are important to me.
Appreciatively,
Lynn
Dr. Lynn K. Jones, Certified Personal and Executive Coach
http://www.LynnKJones.com