I was sitting in the garden eating my toast this morning, admiring the lemon-scented gum nearby that is a nightmare for my pool but heaven for the birds. The finches were flitting from branch to branch, calling as they chased bugs and each other. The longer I sat, the more I noticed.
I thought about what a lovely tree it would be to draw, if I could draw. I mean I can put pencil to paper but then my anxiety about getting things right would kick in and I would be paralysed by my perceived ineptness.
I was reminded of the concept I was introduced to on our last Retreat - of seeing the 'negative space' around something. So I focused on all the things that weren't the tree, like the blue sky and clouds showing in fragmented patches between the branches. The trees behind the tree, their leaves a different shape and shade of green. A rooftop, dappled by the shade. A crow, captured mid-flight between branches. So much beauty and aliveness. So much more than the tree.
A recent visit to Cape Tribulation
If I concentrated on drawing all of these things, by default I would end up drawing the tree. Yet my experience would be so much richer, because I had broadened my focus, and encompassed the whole view.
We can apply this same concept to issues in our lives. It may be a job where we feel undervalued or gain little satisfaction. It may be something from our past that we can't let go of, perhaps when we have been hurt or misunderstood or disappointed. It could be dealing with children, teenagers or aging parents, which is often time-consuming, heart wrenching and draining. We can use up so much head and heart space on the problem that other parts of our lives may recede into the background. All we see is the tree.
What if, instead of focusing on the problem, we zoom out and look at everything else, everything around the tree? What if we spent more actual or mental time on the many other things around us? It can be easy to become trapped in a cycle that revolves around the negative - and sometimes this is just the way life is. Especially in times of grief, illness, or uncertainty; stepping into the unknown is a time of limbo and just getting through each day can be challenging enough.
If you were to do a drawing of your life, as it is today, what would go in the centre, be the 'tree', the thing that is the focal point at the moment? Is it a thing that lights you up, or drains you? What would you fill all the spaces around it with? Can you soften the edges a little, allow some overlap? Can you see that nothing happens in isolation, and that the only thing you really have control over is where you direct your focus, your precious time and energy?
It reminds me of the richly coloured tapestries that hang in museums in Europe. When I stand up close, all I see is strand tightly pressed beside strand. As I step back, more and more is revealed, and the more I look the more I see. The positive. The negative. The light. The dark. A brilliant tapestry that probably looks different to each of us, depending on the angle and where we focus.
Look up. Look around. Take a step back. See the spaces in between all of the things. Broaden your vision to the very edges.
Take it all in, see the forest and the trees.
With love,
Amanda ❤️ xx
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