The Forest or the Trees

When I was first out of work--in fact, even before I was really out of work--I had goals. This was my chance to do new things--to transition to children's media, to write a book (or series of books), to meet entirely new groups of people. The problem is, unless you are independently wealthy and/or unbelievably single-minded, the goal quickly goes from something lofty to just being able to pay the bills and keep up your self-esteem. While I took steps to conquer the whole forest, it was often hard to focus on the forest when every day, all I could see were a whole lot of trees.
 
Even now, it is unbelievably hard to see past the trees of day to day life. There are a lot of things to accomplish each day, both professionally and personally. There is accomplishment in just getting everyone off and getting everyone home, in doing a good job with the tasks at hand. Where, then, do the big goals, the "forest" goals, fit in? If you are successfully negotiating all the trees, does it really matter about the forest?
 
I am still figuring out that answer. It feels good just to handle the trees.  The daily forward motion gives me a sense of strength, of competence, and who wouldn't like that? But when I step back and realize that I have let some of the big goals fall by the wayside, will I be sorry I spent so long just handling trees, barely seeing the whole forest?
 
I suppose what I am finding is that, while the forest may be a beautiful and awe-inspiring sight, the trees in it grow and change every day. And if I spend all my time gazing up at the forest, I will miss the daily changes in the trees right around me. And, at least for now, that is not something I am willing to miss.
 
If I take care of the trees, the forest will still be there, bigger and more beautiful than ever. And maybe someday, I'll conquer it. In the meantime, I'll be trying to make sure that each day, I see the forest AND the trees.