"Will you please write about despair?" asked a reader...

Involuntarily, my heart sank.

No matter where you are stuck or overwhelmed, how does remembering that you can choose to see the world through a different set of eyes support your optimal health?

Despair, the feeling of being in the bottom of a dark pit, invisible to others, seeing the light up above and not having the tools to climb out.

I would venture to guess that everyone who is living a wholehearted life feels despair along the way...

Connected to a young-adult child who has temporarily lost his way.

Or the partner who says they no longer love us.

Or perhaps the diagnosis that we avoided with everything we had.

It is natural to have limited vision when we are in the dark pit. We can hardly see what is right in front of our face and every barrier can feel overwhelming. It is the "ant-eye" view.

But there is another view that is just as real and just as valid - it is the "eagle-eye" view and it is always available. If you close your eyes and sit still, you can experience it.

From this view, high up above the terrain, we soar with ease. We are free from the shackles of darkness and barriers. We can see the big picture vision, to move up higher, or to swoop in with curiosity to examine something of interest without fear of being caught in the muck. We can hear the wind and the quiet - instead of the circling of fear-based thoughts.

We can see the patterns of life. The rich, multifaceted patterns of life. Then we remember that what we are experiencing right now is part of something bigger, that baby steps will move us forward, that resting for a while, where we are, is ok.

When I remember to look through eagles' eyes, it feels super healthy.

Make remembering to see through your eagles' eyes, on a regular basis, a healthy habit.