The Big Picture View

The Big Picture View
            A week doesn’t go by without someone mentioning how the pandemic shutdown has them feeling like Bill Murray in “Groundhog Day.” Fewer places to go, not as many people to see, less variety of activity. Each day is a recycling of small details from the day before.
            Friends can’t remember what day of the week it is, because everything repeats in a loop. This is surely not the first time I’ve made these points in a HikingAutism.com post in recent weeks. “Groundhog Day” it is.
            Being caught up in a narrow-scoped, repetitive loop can be discombobulating. For some it is depressing. For others it allows underlying emotional and psychological issues to mutate and grow. Relationships are subjected to new stresses.
            Simple things are helping people cope in a more positive way. Enjoying the slower pace, the lack of traffic-filled commutes, the ability to hang out with family (even if for some that means distracting background noise on work calls).
            Getting outdoors for a walk, even just in the immediate neighborhood, has been a lifesaver for many during this restrictive time. Parks and nature areas opening up more means more opportunities to expand our mental horizons as we drink in broader views.
            Cliché as it seems, standing on a high hill looking out at the distance is a healthy perspective-changer. Realizing how small we are in the big picture is oddly reassuring. 
            Even if our attempt at a broader view is limited to our back window or the top of a hill from a city block, looking away from our immediate surroundings helps put circumstances into context. There’s always something new in the distance that we can’t see clearly yet. (And some of it has to be good!)
            If you can get to the top of a high mountain to refresh your life perspective, good for you! For the rest of us, looking at the horizon from a hilltop or a window will still help us shake that “Groundhog Day” feeling.
            This week’s Hike Notes are from the archives, Moraga Mosaic Stairs to Grandview Park, one of San Francisco’s many great stair walks with a priceless view.
            The long list of Hikes can be found on the Quick View Hike List and on the main Hikes page. All past Insights posts can also be viewed in the Insights/Hike Update News archives.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photo galleries at the bottom of each hike page! Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Please feel free to share.
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original Hike Notes 68): Moraga Mosaic Stairs to Grandview Park