Perspective

A cow grazing in a field looks around and sees one option: this field bounded on four sides by an electric wire. If the weather is good, the grass grows well and so does the cow. But if it is a bad year, the cow feels the pain of the field. A bird sitting on an electric wire that crosses above the field looks down and sees two options: north of the wire and south of the wire. The bird carefully chooses which side has the better weeds and seeds and flies down to the southern side to gorge on some grass seed. A caterpillar crawling through the same field looks around and sees an endless array of opportunities. She can nibble the milkweed, the long slender grass stalks, or the pokeberry bush in the corner. Her whole life will be spent in this field, and she still won't explore all of its possibilities. A rabbit chased by the neighbor dog scurries into the field looking for safety near the horned cow. The rabbit slows to chew on clover flowers and then takes off again for a patch of lettuce an acre away. He isn't deterred by the boundary marker of the fence or electric wires. His field has no boundaries. When speaking of perspective, usually losing perspective, we often say, "He can't see the forest for the trees." This of course means that he can't see the bigger picture of what is going on, but is struggling to get through each emergency or event as it presents itself. But what if he chooses to look at each "tree" as an opportunity, a delight, instead of an obstacle? Then suddenly the forest no longer needs to be seen, because each tree offers a beautiful palette of possibilities. Are you a bird or a cow with limited sight or are you a caterpillar or a rabbit with endless enchantments?