A number of years ago I was part of a small group of people who were attempting to climb to the top of Mt. Baker in the North Cascades of Washington State. Mt. Baker stands 10,700 ft. high. On the day we expected to reach the summit, we started out from our camp at close to
7,000 ft. As we began to ascend, I would periodically look back at an increasingly beautiful scenery of peaks below. When we were just a few hundred feet from the summit, I thought to myself that the view from the top probably wouldn’t be much different than this. It was truly beautiful in itself: an expanse of 180º and more than a hundred snow capped peaks stretched for miles and miles. Yet, as I climbed the last steps to the summit, my view suddenly expanded to a full 360º and the number of peaks doubled in number! It was an uplifting and breathtaking sight that I will never forget.
This experience comes to mind to describe the experience of living whole life. As children, we see ourselves as the center of life. Yet, living from our wholeness, we mature beyond that limited perspective and start to engage in the vitality that lies all around us. We benefit from a 360º perspective that allows us to experience part within a dynamic whole. We get to tap into and enjoy the expanded awareness and power that that brings with it.