The big picture

Today’s “hug” shows a figure who has climbed a mountain. He stands at the top looking out at the scene below. This person has a better view of the situation from up here.

Below him is the ocean which looks much calmer than it did when he was at the bottom of the mountain. His new position has changed his perspective and how he feels about things. On the water two paper boats glide gracefully along in the ripples of the waves, whereas before they looked like they were struggling to keep afloat.

The figure wears a warm red cloak associated with energy, strength, creativity and courage. He was brave enough to climb that mountain in the first place, not knowing what was at the top, and is rewarded with an incredible view. His outlook and attitude are no longer the same.

“When we focus so hard on the tiny details, we leave ourselves open to miss the bigger picture. Details matter and so does an eagles point of view“

Rosangel Perez

Around his neck is a green scarf which can signify new beginnings, growth and renewal. The climb was hard but he couldn’t see the wood for the trees before. This new vantage point represents the start of a renewed outlook, now that he can see the whole view.

He holds a stick with tiny green leaves sprouting from it. Something wonderful is budding. He has hope and optimism for the future.

Life throws us obstacles and challenges and sometimes we get so swept up in them and the smaller details that we can’t see the larger picture. We often only see a portion of what is before us.

There is a section in the book “Tess of the D’urbervilles” by Thomas Hardy which comes to mind here. The main character has stayed in the seclusion of her home for two years and eventually decides to leave. Her narrow horizons are about to be expanded.

The journey is difficult as she climbs higher but along the way she comes across places where “the world was drawn to a larger pattern” and which give her a “bird’s eye perspective”.

These new scenes lift her spirits and she hears “a pleasant voice in every breeze, and in every bird’s note seemed to lurk a joy”. Her hopes and spirits rise higher and higher with each movement upwards. The view of the bigger picture below gives Tess a renewed optimism which she lacked before.

At home Tess only saw a small part of the picture but now, on her journey high up above the valley, she has expanded her awareness. It’s exhilarating. She has zoomed out, like a camera taking a picture, and can see things differently.

In relation to the card I pulled, the figure at the top of the mountain is like Tess, in that he has chosen to make that climb upwards. To take a moment to move out of his comfort zone and reach the top. Both him and Tess are rewarded with a magnificent view and a completely new perspective.

Who knows where the next step of the journey will take the character on my card. That is yet to be decided. But he certainly has a better view of the road ahead than he did before.