What Are You Looking At? It Affects More Than What You See
I had time to lay in bed again this morning rather than be taunted out of sleep with alarms and expectations. I lay on my stomach for a while. I used to sleep on my stomach when I was young, but four pregnancies eliminated the habit. It felt strange, but good. I lay with my head turned to one side and then the other. My body settled into the convex position rather than the concave slump I often find myself in whether awake or asleep. I decided to try resting my chin on my hands so that the back of my head almost touched my back. That released some tension in my neck and shoulders.
When was the last time I had held my head in that position? I am usually looking down, not up.
Looking down at the computer’s keyboard.
Looking down at the food I am preparing or eating.
Looking down at the laundry I am folding.
Looking down at my phone.
Looking down.
Looking down.
Sometimes I look out.
Out of the windshield of my car at the road or traffic.
Out at my computer screen.
Out at my coworkers to discuss the day’s issues.
Out at my neighborhood while I walk the dog.
I probably look down more than I look out.
But when do I look up?
Up at the sky.
Up at the birds.
Up at the stars.
Up at the things that encourage me to dream or wonder.
I hardly ever look up. This image always caused me to smirk, but maybe it is a bit prophetic, if nothing changes.
My body is too often in a concave position, looking down, working hard, being productive. Of course, we need a portion of our time to be spent on working towards goals and doing productive things. But it is equally important to allow the time and space to open up, to take a convex position, to stretch and reach and wonder and ponder. Humans make and do but we also dream and create.
Most of us make and do or dream and create for a company. We need time to make and do and dream and create of our own intuition, of our own essence.
I have a feeling most of us are missing that personal time and space. I am grateful for this time during the pandemic shut down to consider where I am now and where I want to go from here.
