You know you're in a forest, right?

There are times when we -- metaphorically -- poke our heads up above the trees and realize we're in a forest, but it doesn't happen often, nor does it happen naturally.

It's far more natural to think that our environment is the same as everyone else's, that is, it's THE environment. That's because of confirmation bias, the tendency to interpret all the input we are exposed to in alignment with what we already believe to be true. I got to thinking about this while walking through a corn maze last week.

What we do, how we live, who we like to spend our time with, our choices in reading, listening, believing, even in movement -- every time we think we are choosing freely in our life, we are still making a choice in our own personal forest -- one planted by our parents, ancestors and relatives. It would do us all well to pop our heads up above the canopy of our lives and notice that our frame of reference is singularly personal.

If you have any sense whatsoever of discontent in your life, take a sharp look at the forest you walk in -- metaphorically speaking, of course. Eat new food. Speak to people you see every day but don't typically engage with. Join a different group. Investigate another form of worship or music. Park in a new spot. Change your routine. Walk in a different direction.

Maybe your depression will lift a little, or your pain. Maybe a new idea will germinate, or a friend will appear from "nowhere." Maybe you'll walk a little taller. Maybe, you'll feel a bit more ease.

For this week, I wish you a broader, wider view.