Sometimes We Need to Take a Closer Look

Take a look at this image below. What do you see? It might not be what you think it is.

Have you ever known a really happy person and admired their zest for life and then discovered they struggled with depression? I had a mother like that. She could be really funny and around friends she  was always the life of the party. But ever since I was a child she had struggled with depression. I never really understood it at the time.  It taught me early on that what you see on the surface is not always reality.

Today, now more than ever, people are dealing with their new reality. Job losses, isolation, money woes, fear for their health and well-being are stressing everyone to the breaking point. It is putting a strain on everyone’s mental health. It is time to be kinder to and more supportive of friends, family and strangers, because we don’t know what might be going on inside their world. It’s important we don’t confuse being unhappy or frustrated with depression or addiction. We need to offer help and comfort.

Our mental health should be as important as our physical health, but it is often times silently chipping away at our soul with no obvious outward physical signs. There are too many times when people are shocked when someone loses their battle with addiction or depression (intentionally or unintentionally), particularly when they are a public figure. They are often people who keep up a sunny façade or seem to have everything. It seemingly comes out of nowhere. There should be no guilt or blame, but those left behind feel responsible for not seeing the signs. But that’s the deal, sometimes the signs are so small that we can’t see them with the naked eye.

I watched a beautiful TED talk the other day. Go to Gary Greenberg TED Talk. It really made me think about how important it is to make sure we take care of those around us, because they may seem like one thing on the surface, but when we take a closer look, a different image may come into view. We may reveal something we have never seen before and our perspective may change entirely. It’s the nano details that matter.

As for the picture, they are grains of sand on the Maui shoreline photographed under a powerful 3D microscope, courtesy of photographer and scientist Gary Greenberg. Things aren’t always what they seem on the surface, until you take a closer look.

“The truth is in the details.” ~ Stephen King

Photo credit: Gary Greenberg