I Hope You Look Up

When we’re babies, we look up to the sky. We gaze at the stars. We marvel at the moon, we squint at the sun, we look up to our parents and to signs and sights that are out of our reach.

We look up.

And then somewhere along the line, we lower our gaze. We look to the ground, and we forget to raise our eyes to the sky. We lower our vision to what is close, what is near, what is beneath our feet.

We hide our eyes from the stars and keep what’s in front of us in focus.

I hope you learn how to look up again.

Look at the eyes of those who you come into contact with.

Stare at someone’s face you’re talking to them. I hope you look long enough to learn how their eyes dance when they get excited. I hope you watch the creases that surround their brow when they get mad or worried or sad. I hope you pay attention to how deep their laugh lines are, too.

There’s so much to be learned when we can look into the eyes of another.

Look at what’s around you.

Let your focus get fuzzy.

Pay attention to the things that are out of arm’s reach.

I hope you look up at the sky and take in all the blue. I hope you look at the sun, but not directly, of course. I hope you look at the tops of the trees. I hope you gaze out at the ocean, I hope you let your eyes rest on the horizon. I hope you look at how the buildings burst into the sky. I hope you look at the moon. I hope you let your gaze wander amongst the stars.

Look up.

Look around.

There’s so much out there waiting for you.