Look up to see the view

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Yesterday I was chopping vegetables for dinner, focusing on the task at hand, although my mind was working through a problem in the novel I’m writing, and I was humming along with Van Morrison who happened to be singing from my playlist. I was in a kind of multi-tasking scenario.

The air outside was warm and breezy, so I had the door open to our patio, and the birds were singing along with Van Morrison too.

So there I was chopping carrots and I happened to look up. The late afternoon sun shone on the patio furniture outside and illuminated the blue waters of the Great Sound. I was suddenly filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude to be alive, to be living where I do, to have a life where I can look up from chopping vegetables and see this. I had to put my knife down and step outside, breathe in the air, feel the sun on my face, and stare at that azure water.

Those few minutes in my day made me realize that I need to look up to see the view more often. We all do. Sometimes we get so focused on the tasks at hand, or lose ourselves on the Internet, or get caught up in the day to day detritus of our lives, that we forget to take time to experience the world around us.

So I challenge you. Right now. Stop what you’re doing and look up to see the view. Do you see something interesting?