Macro v Micro

A week ago, I was having a bad Friday. Something small triggered me and I fell into a funk. This dip took me by surprise because overall, I had been having a pretty good week. Both my piano teacher and therapist and even my hairdresser told me earlier in the week that I seemed more relaxed and easy going than usual.

And I was. Until this little thing set me off into a miserably sad spiral. Not, it wasn't hormonal. What caused my downward spiral of emotions was a legitimately confusing thing.

I called my friend Ellen to bemoan my existence. "Think macro, not micro," she said. "The rest of the week was fine and moving forward. I am not saying what happened didn't suck, but think of all of the other positive things that have happened this week."

"Think of the pictures of the poppies in you condo," she said. "You have a field of poppies on one side and then a diagram of the inside of a poppy on the other side. Macro/micro."

When she said that, I looked back at what I was upset about and saw that was a small detail in an otherwise positive picture. 

* "Pretty good" being relative for someone who is getting their kid into wilderness therapy for depression and anxiety and is also separated from her husband. In spite of the turmoil and confusion, there are also times of peace and clarity.