Big Picture

One of my favourite childhood memories is when I turned ten, my Uncle Phil took me up in one of the little airplanes he used to fly. I was beyond nervous having absolutely no idea what to expect, sitting there in the passenger seat while we sat on the runway, clenching and unclenching my little fists. I vividly remember looking up at him sideways while he looked down at me with his gentle eyes and reassuring smile and asked me if I was ready.

I wasn't.

I actually had a full-on panic attack and I was convinced that I was going to throw-up. Yet uncle Phil sat patiently with me until my anxiety somewhat subsided and then once we were up in the air all of my fear was left behind me like forgotten luggage.

One year ago today, Andrew took me up in an airplane for my birthday. I sat in the passenger seat beside the pilot while Andrew sat behind me. This time I wasn't afraid because I knew what to expect but also because the earth below me held luggage that I couldn't afford to carry that day; I had no problem at all leaving it behind.

It's amazing what a little perspective can bring to our emotional outlook on life. When we're in the thick of things we can't see the forest through the trees. The big picture loses its focus and all of our visions and goals seem to disappear into the fog while we clamor around in crazy desperation to somehow gain back the control we feel we lost. We clench and unclench our little fists to no avail.

But someone comes along with gentle eyes and guides us up out of the mire, through the cloud and fog and into the clear where we can see our luggage for what it is: small and unimportant in the big picture. When we get back down to the earth we don't need to forget the view, for the sky became a part of us and we, if we allow it to, will always have that sky-view perspective on where we are on the ground. We rose up before, we can rise up again.