When all else fails, look up

 

 

Actually … it’s a lot easier if you’re looking up before all else fails. Things tend to NOT fail when you’re already looking up. But sometimes you forget … and you know what happens then, don’t you?

You turn into something that resembles this …

 

 

A prickly, jagged, moss-covered and good-for-nothin’ useless old stump that poses a danger to others. And that’s when you need to look up the most … though it can be difficult to see up if you feel like things are closing in around you.

 

 

Follow your whim. You know when it’s time to widen your view … to get away from it all. Even if that means over the river and through the woods …

 

 

Make your getaway to wherever it is that you go to get away. A place that stirs your soul, clears away the clutter and allows you to take in huge calming breaths of sweet, refreshing air.

Where’s your place?

This is the road that leads to mine …

 

 

And this is the point where I usually stop, get out and breathe it in.

And then I smile. Because suddenly, it’s a lot easier to look up. And looking down isn’t so bad, either.

 

 

But I’m here for a reason. So I begin by looking ahead … and it’s indescribably beautiful.

 

 

I look even higher and see that though the way is rocky and strewn with boulders, the journey offers breathtaking beauty with each twist and turn.

 

 

And when my eyes finally look up …

 

 

Words escape me. This is where I should have been gazing all along.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After looking up for awhile, the so-called ”big things” don’t seem so astounding.

And the little things seem much more important.

 

 

I start to notice the tiniest details …

 

 

… and tread lightly so I don’t miss the vibrant beauty all around.

 

 

I discover hidden treasure in unlikely places.

 

 

And after careful consideration …

 

 

I discover maybe I’m not nuts … just a little a-corny.

 

 

After I’ve been looking up and breathing deep for awhile, it’s easy to bundle my troubles and send them on their way.

 

 

One after the other.

 

 

So long … farewell …

 

 

And then I go with the flow … wherever life’s currents take me.

Sometimes there are rocky paths and whitewater rapids to navigate. That’s when we must keep on keeping on … and remember to look up. Because there’s always a place to rest and rejuvenate beside the still waters.

Especially and most definitely when looking up.

 

 

And when I’m looking up … it’s easy to see blue skies through the tangled branches.

 

 

Into the woods. At 10:37 a.m. on a Tuesday I decided to head for my place. We packed the car and kids, school books, food and camera, and headed northeast for a couple of days. There’s no place to clear your heart and head like that special place. Especially when it’s a spur-of-the-moment, off-on-a-whim trip.

Where is your special place?
I’d love to read all about it … leave me a comment!