How do you get perspective? What’s your method of taking stock of a situation? Have you ever been puzzled by your point of view?

Every now and then we are faced with something so big we can’t get around it. Or under it. Or for that matter over it. Sometimes a situation just has so many moving parts that it’s a challenge to keep track of them.

The simple solution is often the best, but in many cases the most elusive. You’ve probably had that feeling when your perspective shifts and you get a handle on something and it’s like “Eureka! It all comes clear to me now!”

So how do you determine what’s best? Do you go for the big picture view? Or is it better to get down and dirty with the details? The ability to zoom in and out with your attention and observations is one of the miracles of the human mind.

The dance between diving into the details or the view from 30,000 feet is one of the ways we unpack problems, big and small.

So what will it be? Telescope, microscope, (or periscope)? These are all handy tools, and also metaphors for the appropriate distance you might need to confront a conundrum.

The real trick is to recognize when you need to shift your stance, and get comfortable playing with your perspective like steps in a dance. You never know, it might be a single speck of sand in the gears, or something amiss with the larger system on the whole.

I was reminded of this phenomenon by a scratchy sound coming out of my stereo. At first, I thought maybe my mixer was going bad, or the wires connecting my speakers to my amplifier were corroded. At first glance, everything seemed fine with my turntable, and the record I was playing was clean.

But then I remembered a handy gadget in my tool drawer, a nifty little handheld microscope. I removed the cartridge, zoomed in on the stylus, and there it was, perfectly clear at about 200X.

A ball of goo and shellac had completely encrusted the sharp tiny diamond needle. Easily remedied with a bit of denatured alcohol and a tiny brush, but totally invisible to the naked eye.

And just like that, a bit of reassembly, and voilà! My stereo started to sing again! Without the goop on the stylus the magnets in the cartridge could transcribe the sound waves carved into the vinyl, and analog bliss was had once again!

Life is by default a series of puzzles, problems, and mysteries to solve big and small. Knowing when to zoom in or out, and having the ability to dance freely between perspectives is the secret sauce to an easy groove!

Much love and happy dancing till next week!

M+

Mark Metz
Director of the Dance First Association
Publisher of Conscious Dancer Magazine