The Big Picture

It's amazing. Sometimes, in order see the big picture, we must look at the small things.

I am a recovering perfectionist. I used to wake up thinking; I spent my day thinking; I went to bed thinking. What did I think about? Everything. I wondered how I could have been funnier, wittier, or maybe not have talked so much while at dinner with friends. I wondered if my clothes are as flattering as they could have been. I wondered if I smiled too much. Or did I not smile enough? I always wondered, "Am I good enough?" But, it was more than an occasional wondering. I, anxiously, rolled these thoughts (and many others) in my head, day after day, minute after minute. I had many sleepless nights planning out how I could be better and better, so I could be "perfect". And yet, my efforts were futile as I would never become perfect. Though I may have becomed more skilled at whatever endeavor I was chasing at the time, I would always fall short of perfection. How can a person who can never reach her goal ever be happy?


In high school, I took an afterschool college art course. We were instructed to go to the Getty Museum as a class. Instead of focusing on the pictures in the museum, our professor pointed out each rock and flower we passed by. A schoolmate and I were not too interested in the rocks. Instead, we spent most of our time talking about things that were going on in our lives. After about an hour or so of hearing our constant chatter, the professor snapped, "You spend so much time worrying about what's happening with Mary that you fail to see the big picture. In a few days, what's happening with her will not matter." My friend asked, "Who's Mary?" Neither one of us had a friend named Mary, nor were we discussing anyone by that name, but I got our professor's point. If I step out of my own head, there is a whole world out there beyond me. Then, my world seems so insignificant in comparison. Who cares if I talked too much at dinner? Who cares that my clothes may not always match?


Years later, my professor's counsel still rings in my head. So, I decided to dedicate a blog to the little things in life that make life wonderful - whether it be a good laugh, a wonderful meal, or just staring in amazement life's wonders. It's the little things sometimes, that help us see the big picture.