Look up and see what you’re missing

Do you find yourself looking at your feet and missing everything good in the process?

Look up and see the traffic signal on the roof.
Look up and see what you’re missing!

I have to look up! I walk. And I mean, I walk a lot. At least once a day, I take a long walk. Most days, I take more than one. When I’m in the office, I have a treadmill desk and walk all day — when I’m not walking outside.

During our COVID work-from-home time, one of my friends started a Facebook group encouraging her relationships to exercise. It started out as a scavenger hunt. Kim sent us out to look for flowers, or childrens’ toys, or something purple. It’s turned into beautiful community of encouragers who post pictures of the beauty that is in our world.

A rooftop giggle

Not too long ago, I was walking (again), but this time I was with my husband. He motioned for me to look up and there, on the roof of an old townhouse, was a working traffic signal. Of course I laughed, then I took a picture to share with our walking group. Then I realized that I spent most of my time looking at my feet or my phone. Granted, I’m walking in the city and the sidewalk is uneven and I’m often on a call or answering emails. However, I often get to the end of my walk and cannot remember anything along the way. The journey is a blur.

Thoughts I think – time to look forward!

That got me thinking…what else am I missing? Is it every day, or just sometimes? How much of my time am I spending looking down, or even backwards? How much of my life journey has been lost as I carefully watch my feet? The answer to all of my questions is, “more than I care to admit.”

“Mindfulness asks us to simply see, to open to ourselves and, in so doing, to open to the world, learning to be with whatever presents itself.” — Saki Santorelli (Heal Thy Self)

Going forward, I’m looking up

So then, I have to ask, what’s next? In a word, mindfulness. I love this definition of mindfulness by Sake Santorelli. “Mindfulness asks us to simply see…” Whether I’m walking or eating or working or sitting on my rooftop terrace enjoying a glass of wine, mindfulness asks me to simply see — to look up, instead of down — and to embrace whatever presents itself. Want to join me?

Team@risepittsburgh.com

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