The Obstructed View
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The Obstructed View
John Paul Derryberry
Ever summit a peak on a hike or climb? It's like coming up for air from the depths of the sea but connecting with your soul. You just stare out over the landscape with this 360-degree unobstructed view and take in the beauty. It's made all the more beautiful by the climb to the top. You suck in air as you reach the top. You attempt to find the nearest possible spot to take a seat. You wipe the sweat from your forehead to finally pull your gaze up and look out over the view you achieved. It takes your breath away, at the sight of peace, the sounds of nature, and the reality of how small we all are. It's not the tiny feeling of insignificance. It's the comfortable feeling of how we are all connected.
In my hiking days, I have felt this many times. It is a welcome friend at this point to be reminded there are so many bigger things in the world. I get the gift of realizing there are more significant problems faced, and having the luxury to hike to peaks is a gift. When I allow my brain to drift away and access my favorite peak, it's section 13 on the Superior Hiking Trail. Perhaps it comes to mind because it was the last uphill hike of our 5-day trip.
Those are hard to come by in our day-to-day interactions. We sometimes fumble and bounce our way from one work problem to the next, to the home problem, to the bed. Never really finding the time to take in the view of our life. It often leads to having only had our minimal view of our partner, children, bosses, employees, co-workers, friends, and even strangers. We take that limited view and make it gospel as if we speak for everyone on everything. It's a toxic trait that leads us to no place good, and often we question how we ended where we did. Never once thinking, I should take a step back and look at this from the point of view of someone I love, or trust, or who is curious looks at the current situation.
We slowly drown in our obstructed view, not even knowing we need to breathe in someone else's view to survive. Knowing that other people have different opinions on the same mundane and repetitive problems we have every day can be a lifesaver. It can help refresh us when we need to adjust the course. We all need to change our gaze from time to time to better understand the task before us. Remember, we are not alone in this, and there are capable, intelligent people who love us, trust us, and want something good for us. It's something we can't see because of our obstructed view. So I take a deep breath and return in my mind to Section 13, with the sun setting by descending in the vast north woods wilderness. I remember the freshness of the air; I remember the sounds of the forest, and I remember the company around me. It's not about me; it's about us, and when I get to that type of thinking, it's the best view of all. It's unobstructed and beautiful, just the way life should be of the best hiking trip I had been on, but whatever the equation was, the answer produced a moment of pure bliss. I had an unobstructed view of the world around me, translating into a clear view of my own world.
Those are hard to come by in our day-to-day interactions. We sometimes fumble and bounce our way from one work problem to the next, to the home problem, to the bed. Never really finding the time to take in the view of our life. It often leads to having only had our minimal view of our partner, children, bosses, employees, co-workers, friends, and even strangers. We take that limited view and make it gospel as if we speak for everyone on everything. It's a toxic trait that leads us to no place good, and often we question how we ended where we did. Never once thinking, I should take a step back and look at this from the point of view of someone I love, or trust, or who is curious looks at the current situation.
We slowly drown in our obstructed view, not even knowing we need to breathe in someone else's view to survive. Knowing that other people have different opinions on the same mundane and repetitive problems we have every day can be a lifesaver. It can help refresh us when we need to adjust the course. We all need to change our gaze from time to time to better understand the task before us. Remember, we are not alone in this, and there are capable, intelligent people who love us, trust us, and want something good for us. It's something we can't see because of our obstructed view. So I take a deep breath and return in my mind to Section 13, with the sun setting by descending in the vast north woods wilderness. I remember the freshness of the air; I remember the sounds of the forest, and I remember the company around me. It's not about me; it's about us, and when I get to that type of thinking, it's the best view of all. It's unobstructed and beautiful, just the way life should be!