Hidden Treasure

for my mother on her 90th birthday

A small boy walks home from school
alone, slowly shuffling and kicking at
stones along the way. Head down,
he evenly sees what has been cast aside;
appreciating that which is of no use.

Now and then, something shiny
catches his eye: a colorful bottle cap,
a soda can flattened by a passing car,
an especially round stone. He stops
and stoops to examine more closely,
forgetting, for a moment, his destination.

What intrigues him still, he picks up
and carries home for presentation
to his waiting mother. She greets
his little bits of the world as the treasures
they now are and praises him
for his careful eyes and tender heart.

Her delight with him and his world
becomes the treasure that guides
and sustains him across oceans
and decades as he walks
the many roads of his life.

Isaiah at Seven Months: Crawling Into Love

Heaving breaths in and out
through his open mouth,
he clumsily pulls himself to standing
against the back of the couch.
He looks around triumphantly
and we all join together in
unreasonable delight with
his predictable accomplishment.

A quick and graceless fall
bounces him back to sitting.

Unfazed, he turns from me
to be greeted by a familiar vision
on the far end of the couch:
mother and grandmother—
beaming faces illuminated
with primal love for this
small being of will and wonder.

Arms flailing, he crawls wholeheartedly
toward these waiting angels of his life—
into a world which perfectly, for this moment,
reflects and invites his emerging animation.

Nine Easy Steps to a Happier Life

A recent scientific study* reports that you can improve your happiness by up to 37%** by simply looking up! While we don’t yet know the exact mechanism that produces the effect, lifting your gaze momentarily (Sky-Gazing) prevents you from doing useful work and allows you to become aware of the world that always surrounds and embraces you. Raising your eyes to the sky may also activate healing memories of being young in the summer and being on vacation and having nothing much important to do.

In just a few minutes, you too can begin to experience the benefits be on your way to a 37% happier life.

Most of us have been trained to constantly look down in order not to trip and to stay focused on the task at hand. Looking up interrupts this functionalist perspective and begins to re-weave our connection to the world around us. The simple practice of sky gazing is a way to break free from the trance of everyday life and return to a healthier and more realistic relationship to life, the earth and the cosmos.

Sky-Gazing in Nine Easy Steps:

1. Go outside or find a window with a view
2. Sit down in a reasonably comfortable chair, couch or chaise lounge
3. Slouch (and put your feet up if possible)
4. Lift your chin several inches
5. Let your gaze rise (must be 45 degrees or above for maximum benefit)
6. Look up and out with relaxed focus
7. Notice little things up high — like how the breeze moves the leaves near the top of trees or how the shape of the clouds is always changing or the specific color of the sky
8. Take a couple breaths
9. Remember that the sky is always above and is never rushed or worried

Some people report their experience Sky-Gazing as ‘a mini-vacation’ and say they re-enter their daily activities with more spaciousness, ease and equanimity***. In the interest of scientific research, I would urge you to try this right now and see what impact it has on you.

(After you have done this practice from the seated position for some time, you may want to try the advanced practice which involves doing this same practice while lying down outside – preferably under or near a large tree.)

Enjoy.

notes:
*conducted by me as I sat out on my porch one afternoon
**23% of all statistics are made up on the spot
***the productivity impact of this practice merits further study as some employers might find their workers less willing to efficiently do meaningless work after sky gazing