My eyes were glued to the ground as we hiked 2.5 miles up to bear creek falls today. There were breathtaking scenes at each step or so I imagine. All I caught were the rocks lining the trail. It felt so satisfying to finally reach the peak and look down over the mountain we scaled. The view from the top was unbeatable but I couldn’t help but wonder about all I had missed along the way. Ashley made a great comment later in the evening at happy hour about “missing the forest for the tree.” The phrase resonated with my experience on the trail. No, I didn’t miss the forest aka the view from the waterfall but I was so preoccupied with the ground aka the tree, I missed what could have been many great experiences on the journey. Do you ever wonder what opportunities pass you by because you’re so locked into a goal to the point of inflexibility and disengagement with your surroundings? How could that impact your personal and professional development and especially relationships? I’m curious how many physicians are oblivious to the people and things around them. And I wonder how much the almost automated motions of their daily schedule harms themselves, their staff, and especially the patients they’re trying to serve.
