Look up!

Last week, I was really inspired by the sunrise. We’re heading into that time of year where the sun rises later and later, so when I left the house at 7:20am, the sun had risen and the sky was all aglow and speckled with clouds.

Because we live on a hill, I feel like I see the sky more often. I don’t know if that’s actually true. But, I’d like to believe it. Even so, I don’t often look up; in fact, I frequently find myself looking down at my phone most of the time. And when I look down, it’s easy to miss what’s going on around me. Have you ever traveled and noticed how everyone in the waiting area is face-down into an electronic device? It’s a really sad sight.

A few months ago, I took a barre class and we were facing the inside of the room with our backs against the barre. The instructor looked around the room and said, ‘Everyone, Look Up.’ What I didn’t realize at the time was that we were all looking toward the floor, and we were missing the physical work that we could be doing by looking up and encouraging one another, too.

When we were in India, we traveled to Aurangabad to see the Ajanta and the Ellora Caves. If we hadn’t had a tour guide, I would have missed half of the tour! Why? I hardly ever look up, and when we did look up, we saw incredibly preserved artwork with luscious blues and faded greens, and stories about how people lived their lives so long ago. The stories were so descriptive!. In one cave, the paint was so preserved you couldn’t even tell it was done in 4 B.C.  

It’s important to look up, not just in everyday life, but also in the metaphorical sense. Sometimes we have hard days and it’s easy to get down about the day or the experience you’re going through. I find this to be especially true on a journey to better health. Some days are just better than others. But with a ‘look up’ attitude, it’s a lot easier to go through those more difficult times, believing that the obstacle is just a bump in the road, rather than a full-on catastrophe. For example, if you don’t eat quite as healthily one day, or you fail to exercise for a few days in a row, that’s ok! Look up to the next day and start over. Every day is a new day and a new beginning.

When we do look up, we can find inspiration. I’ve been trying to take a pause every day to look up and to purposely keep my phone in my pocket or my purse. You might be surprised at what you find!

Here’s what I found - maybe you can find it, too!