I took the photo above during a tent-covered dance at my school. The DJs, who were students, projected this fun light show onto the tent. The lights added a festive element to the event, and since I was already thinking about what different kinds of light add to our experiences, I spent more time enjoying the colors than policing the kids. Let's hope they weren't up to anything nefarious.
Earlier that week, on this "We Can Do Hard Things" podcast episode, the hosts and guest Dr. Amishi Jha talked about different ways of paying attention. They made the distinction between shining a flashlight and blasting a floodlight.
A flashlight directs a single beam of light in exactly one place, providing a clear and detailed view of the area in its scope. A floodlight, on the other hand, makes a broad area brighter. The more I think about this distinction, the clearer it is to me that we need both kinds of attention at different times in our days/lives. Sometimes, it's important to zoom in on one task, to understand its details and facets fully, but at other times, we need to get the big picture. We never want to be blinded to the greater context or the minutia of a task, but we can't see both clearly at all times, so it's important to decide, Is this a flashlight or a floodlight moment? We need both and need to know when to employ each one.
When have you found yourself looking at the big picture when you needed to hone in? When have you realized you needed to take a step back from the details to understand the whole enchilada? Please share any thoughts you have in the comments.
Unrelated, if you're reading this post the day it goes live, please enjoy the fact that today's a sentence. May you march forth into the rest of your day with equanimity and curiosity.