The Big Stack

I’m trying to visualize what my life looks like. If each part represents a different colored block of wood, is the size of each piece equal to the amount of time I spend doing that or should it corollate to the importance it plays in my life? Does that mean that the blocks that represent sleeping and working are the biggest? Or, does it mean that my marriage  is the bigger piece because of the amazing impact it has on my life?

And how are the pieces arranged? Do I see them side by side with the bigger pieces on the left side down to the smallest on the right? Maybe I stack them with the most important being at the bottom because it’s the foundation piece.

I read a book in high school called Horizontal Thinking. My take away from the book is that there are many ways to describe an object. The more ways I am able to describe what I see, the better I’m able to understand and appreciate what “it” is.

When I think about my life in terms of colored wood blocks, only the edges of each piece are touching. If the largest block is stacked on the bottom then is it the foundation piece or is it the one that’s sitting on top because it’s the most important? I don’t really know. The good news is there is no one right way to see any of this.

What struck me about seeing the different aspects of my life as colored wood blocks is the separate nature of each piece and how, together, they form the whole that is my life. I get to choose how I see the size of the pieces and how they are arranged.

These visual exercise lead me to a conclusion I already knew, but sometimes forget: each part plays a role where the outcome can and should be greater than the simple sum of the individual parts. It also lead me to a fundamental realization, that no matter how I arrange the pieces, or the size and corresponding colors I give them, they are in service to the life I’m building. That wrapped around them is this sometimes seemingly invisible overlay of who I am and what I’m trying to become.

It’s not just about the pieces, but the grander scheme they play in my life. The more variations I see in their arrangement, the deeper understanding and relationship each one plays. The greater my awareness, the more I appreciate and breath in this amazing life. To make the most of it for myself and those who mean the most to me.