Larger than Life

I like binoculars. They are great when Friend-husband and I go hiking. Our favorite hiking spot is Bryce Canyon and I have a small pair of binoculars that is easy to carry and gives us a better view of our surroundings. Friend-husband likes taking binoculars along when he goes to football games for a close up of the action. We like keeping binocs in the car, because we often like to stop and look around. It is fun to look for mountain sheep among the rocks in canyon places or to find birds in the trees and ducks on a pond.

Binoculars are okay for people watching if you know how to use them. I have often noticed that when we look at other people we use the business end of the binoculars, showing us a magnified view of all their goodness. We see larger than life images of their talents and skills. They appear to be spectacular. We see their lives in brilliant colors and in huge proportions. No wonder we feel small in comparison.

Sadly, when we look at ourselves we tend to invert the binoculars and see instead the smallness of our lives. Our talents seem miniscule, our abilities microscopic. We see a washed out miniaturized version of ourselves. Even our good deeds diminish in value as we look through the wrong end of the binoculars. We may feel unimportant, unappreciated, or even undesireable.

Comparing ourselves with others is never a good idea, as we always see a distorted image of ourselves. Instead of trying to change the way we look, we should change the way we see. Let’s see the good in ourselves as well as others. Let’s stop competing, stop comparing, and stop putting ourselves down.

Binoculars are great for some things. They’re not so good for seeing ourselves as we really are. It’s okay to be yourself. Celebrate your strengths, accept your weaknesses, and enjoy the journey. You are good enough. You are larger than life. You make a difference every day, just by being yourself.

Yes, you do.

Linda Garner