Leave Your Cares Behind

I keep bringing up movies in my posts, but sometimes you find yourself watching a profound moment in a film that you reflect on from time to time. “Men Don’t Leave” – a heartbreaking, wonderful, life affirming movie starring Jessica Lange and Joan Cusack comes to mind. Jessica Lange’s character (Beth) is suffering from terrible depression due to the loss of her husband, and spends her time in bed – ignoring the cries of help from her friends, her son, and from herself.  Joan Cusack’s character, Jody, plays one of Beth’s friends, and in a moment of “I’ve had it”, storms into Beth’s apartment,  hauls her out of bed, and takes her on an outing.  This outing? A ride in a hot air balloon. Why you might ask?  Keep reading.

As the hot air balloon leaves the earth’s surface, you see Beth breathe more deeply, you notice her relaxing a bit, and she actually smiles at one point. You can see the weight from all the problems that have been dragging her down drop off.  Now granted this is not a cure-all for depression, nor did Beth return home a new person, but she gained a perspective that we all need every now and then – rise above your problems, leave them behind, or look down at them above the earth so they appear smaller and smaller.  This is helpful to see that we are merely a grain of sand within the sphere of  life and so are our problems.

I encounter this  “leave your cares behind” perspective when I fly – and it happens to me every time.  For some reason, leaving the earth and feeling truly alone in the sky helps me to relax and put things in perspective. I believe all things are possible when I am flying. I love to look down at the patterns of streets, houses, the terrain of the Earth, and the patterns of agriculture. It’s as if I am looking down at a diorama – life in a little box where I can lift the lid and peer inside. I don’t see the nitty-gritty nor the minutia,  but the whole of physical life splayed out in front of me.  Earth is a beautiful and extraordinary place and this perspective I fail to notice at times when I am “in it”.

Someone gave me a great piece of advice once that I have followed when necessary.  If there are times where you find yourself in a confrontational situation, try to hover above yourself and view the situation as if watching it on a screen from above.  This exercise has helped me to gain great perspective while in uncomfortable situations.  I had a very upsetting encounter with a former work colleague a long time ago, and just doing that very thing – not reacting but watching the situation,  I found myself looking at the situation from a different point of view.  I was able to think more clearly and get a handle on the circumstances and most importantly, my emotions.

I have found this “spiritual exercise”—the act of reflecting on things from a larger perspective—to be incredibly cathartic and nourishing. The catharsis come from seeing that things don’t matter as much as (or in the way that) we thought. You will find nourishment resulting from that dose of humility and reverence.

The key to all of this is to carry this perspective with your feet firmly planted in the Earth.  Try to gain perspective with your life – step back and see the big picture while being firmly on the ground.  This is VITAL – clear your “inbox” today and assess what is really important.