Between the Forest and the Trees

It's easy to get lost in the trees while venturing through forests. A hike starting with excitement and the promise of scenic views can lose its magic as mosquitos emerge from the bog, and we spend ever more of our limited daylight passing what looks like the same cragged tree from a mile ago. We start questioning if we've been going in circles the whole time and getting no closer to the vista that inspired the journey at dawn, so we double down on our efforts.

Between trees, we set ourselves on getting it "right" and arriving at the other end of the forest. We can't relax until we've hit our stride in the right direction because life is stressful, survival is serious business, delays can become tragedy, and we'd rather avoid disappointment. There's uncertainty, insecurity, and struggle as we grapple with the possibility of missing sunset from the summit and instead setting up camp in the dark. So work must precede play and be taken seriously because it stands between us and the goal. If we're to ever reach a state of peace, we must set aside play, ignore the trees that aren't immediate threats and dedicate ourselves to making it.

…Right?

We plan, strive, and optimize in pursuit of joy. How ironic.

I'm not denying or diminishing the simple fact that there's always work to do, material and psychic. The only way through the forest is passed individual trees.

Of course, there are stern personalities for whom planning, striving, and optimizing is joy, but this writing isn't for them; they're oriented among the trees and hopefully mark a path for others.

On the other hand, it's possible to spend all day critically studying a vanishing path of sun through the branches, carefully anticipating the next knotted root threatening our ankles, and, in the process, mistake the trees for the forest. The path can be deceptive since we can't fly like crows, and sometimes the trail turns west before circling north once more. There's always a moment of feeling lost, even if we're already where we must be: en route.

Each step is a beginning and end, and whether we get to that final feature in time is secondary to the sensory wonder of every inch deeper into the forest. There's no arrival, no revelation, nothing to awaken to beyond being here, now.

Seeing the forest and the trees while living between them all is play masquerading as work. We contain and are contained within infinite scales. In other words, there's no fundamental difference between the forest, the trees, and the hiker. The appearance of difference is an illusion of perspective - a symptom of remembering trees we've passed and anticipating the trail's next bend. This illusion convinces us we shouldn't be happy until we reach the end, as if a sphere has edges.

Holding the micro and macro in mind as distinct yet inseparable topographies creates balance within awareness, which inevitably translates into harmony across every layer of our shared reality.

If you're reading this, you already know how to cultivate this dynamic perspective. Introspect and reflect on your day, not against a standard of "good" or "bad" but in the context of your path. Appreciate where you are relative to where you were, then let the present become the past and attend to the next step. Walking the path is the reward. Take pleasure in each step without forgetting the reality of the step after that. Otherwise, you could be flown to the vista you've read about and still feel numb to the beauty because of last night's mosquito.

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