Macro, Micro

For some of us, dreaming big is dreaming small.

Instead of wanting to build castles in the air, we want to build families and communities.  A small circle of well attended and well cared for people seems like a great and challenging enterprise.

It’s fine if those people are doing big things and we can help them achieve their dreams, but we want to attend to the details that we know count for so very much.

For us, attending to the little things is the only way to support doing big things.   We know that within every grandiose stroke are millions of tiny challenges, people having to do small things to make the magic happen.

People who value the small tend to value the interior, the heart of things, while people who value the big tend to value the exterior, the sweep of things.   Those are two very different but very complimentary orientations.

I know lots of people who want to jump into the spotlight, who want to be seen making a difference, who care more about having their name on the top of the press release than about what actually gets done.

These people can’t imagine why everyone doesn’t want this kind of attention, why some would rather stay close to the nuance and subtleties rather than just making the show.   They are not wonks even if they need wonks to help make the details work.

For some of us, the tiny, detailed and meta appears large and fascinating, compelling us much more do than the broad strokes of convention and arm waving.  We focus on deep precision and insight rather than on generalities and swagging.

Dreaming big for us is dreaming small because we see the universe inside of every drop.

And that’s true even if my world is too tiny for you to see.