An olde saied sawe, itche and ease, can no man please.
Plentie is no deyntie [dainty]. ye see not your owne ease.
I see, ye can not see the wood for trees.
John Heywood, 1546
You Can’t See the Wood for the Trees
In the glossary of his book, John Heywood explains the saying, you can’t see the wood for the trees, as having so many good things people can miss that life as a whole is good.
Over the years the meaning has changed a little. If you focus on little details you can lose the bigger picture. Sometimes you can’t understand a situation clearly because you are right in the middle of it, too involved. You are there in the woods, with trees all around and all you can see is the tree in front of you. (And maybe a couple of pigeons!)
Look Around
Take your eyes off that single tree and look around. You will see branches everywhere. Leading off in different directions, offering new paths, new solutions. Hey, if you are lucky, you may even see the sun shining through them.
The further you move away from the central situation the more trees you will see. The world as a bigger whole, and suddenly that little thing you are involved in doesn’t seem so relevent. You’re out of the woods now!
Other, more updated terms for this phrase are ‘First World Problems’ or ‘Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff.’
While you are stuck in that wood though, tied to that one tree, the rest of the world is hidden. And whether your tree represents something good (maybe a new love) or something bad (an argument) it’s always good to take a step out of the woods occasionally and look at the trees around you.
The photos in this post where taken of the trees at the bottom of my garden. They are not my trees, they line the canal, but I do love that they are there. You can see more photos of them here
I’ve some lovely foodie photo’s on this post here, if you’d like to take a look.
This is a lovely sentiment – perfect to keep in mind for the week ahead! x
Great wisdom It is indeed hard when you focused on something to step back It does help to think about all the things you are grateful for
Interesting. I didn’t know this saying was so old. One thing I noticed after taking an art class is that trees are not really just green. They are lots of shades of different greens and other colors once you look. Sort of the same sentiment. #MMBC
Is that not the truth, and such a wise saying. It is hard sometimes to open the mind and realize what is beyond a situation. Sometimes later on, I have had a duh moment. If only moment. The tree photos are great….always something interesting about trees, their shapes, their leafs. Thanks for visiting Peabea Scribbles.
The trees are beautiful, no wonder you love have them at the bottom of the garden. It is also definitely important for us all to take a step back and consider the woods occasionally!
I love knowing the story behind words and this was very interesting. You can’t have too many trees, IMO 🙂
Amalia
xo
This is a really nice post, it made me stop and think for a few minutes.
#MMBC
So true! There is so much good in our lives. We need to focus on the positives. Thanks for the great reminder!
I love this shot, I also love how you refer to a well known saying / phrase. Thanks for sharing and for linking up with #MySundaySnapshot xxx
Very wise words and something we all need to definitely apply.
Catching up from last week’s My Sunday Snapshot
What a beautiful post Anne! Things never seem so bad when you stand back and look at the bigger picture. 🙂 Love this! x
Absolutely! It can be really tough to step back when you’re so focused on something. Taking a moment to reflect on all the things you’re grateful for can really help.
What a wonderful post! I love the idea of taking a step back and appreciating the big picture, just like the phrase “you can’t see the wood for the trees” suggests. The author’s reflection on how we often get caught up in the details and lose sight of the bigger picture is so relatable. It’s a great reminder to take a deep breath, look around, and appreciate the beauty in the world.