Look Up

Our daily lives are, for the most part, routine. We wake up (and in my case, shamefully hit the snooze button at least 4 times), get ready for the day, and head out to our destination. Usually that requires getting in a car, focusing on traffic, being annoyed with traffic, checking our phone during red lights (sad but true), getting to our destination (work, for example) and going inside. In my case, I’m inside all day staring at my computer screen for hours. In our never-ending focus on getting things done, being successful, getting rich, or whatever our ventures take us, we often forget to savor the moments we have and the life that surrounds us.

I took this photo a few days after my car accident in 2010. I had to wear a back brace for two months and couldn’t move much the first few days. After being stuck in bed with very little to do, I took a walk down my block and sat at the foot of a tree. I was in pain but happy that I was on the road to recovery and able to even walk at all. For some reason though, I kept thinking about the things that bothered me: my car getting totaled and my iPhone being stolen during the accident. Missing out on a work trip to California. Having limited mobility and pain in a back brace. The thousands of dollars my family had to pay for medical bills.

…and then I looked up. The petty things I was complaining about suddenly faded away. They weren’t important, and never would be. I couldn’t remember the last time I went outside to look around and see what was living around me, but seeing the tree leaves that morning and hearing nature exist around me was breathtaking.

When is the last time you went outside and took it all in? Actually appreciated the life around you? Not just the people, but the sounds of birds chirping and wind rustling through trees, the color of the grass, the type of clouds in the sky? Would you remember if yesterday was a clear, sunny day, or were you too busy checking email or staring at the computer to care?

It’s all too easy to get sucked up in our self-created importance of the irrelevant. Have you ever asked your self what really matters? The next time you need a little reminder, go outside, take a deep breath, and…

look up.

This entry was posted in Journal.

One comment

  1. CAP says:

    You always are able to find the depth and profoundness of the simple things in life. Continue to spread your wings and soar. *Five Fingers in the air*

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