“I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes.”
~e.e. Cummings
We spend a lot of time looking at things, don’t we—our laptops, our phones, our tablets, our work, our televisions? In so many instances, we’re spending a lot of time looking down at our devices and absorbed in these things rather than looking up and seeing the world that is right in front of our eyes.
This is so cool—who knew that today is an unofficial holiday called Look Up at the Sky Day?! I recently saw a cartoon in which a simply drawn character is lying on his back looking up at the sky. A second character asks what he is doing, and he responds that he is using his device: the sky. He goes on to say that his device comes with many apps, including the sun, the moon, clouds, birds, and stars. When the other character asks if his device needs to be recharged, the answer is, “No, my device recharges me.”
This is just the best! I love this cartoon because it is truly an example for all of us that often it’s simple things in life, the things that are right in front of us, like gazing up at the sky and feeling the sun on our skin, that can truly recharge us.
The simple act of looking up can shift our whole perspective in an instant. It can move us from sad and lonely to joyful and expansive. It is a reminder that all the electronic devices we use are impermanent, material items. Of course, they are certainly very useful, but let’s be aware of when they are taking too much of our attention away from life and we end up depleting our own personal batteries.
So, aside from sitting on top of a hill gazing into the sky, how do we recharge? I sit, close my eyes, and plug in to me first thing in the morning before looking at my phone, tablet, or computer. It is in this “sitting with myself,” collecting myself and my thoughts, that gives me a chance to look within to actually see and ask myself, What is it I want to focus on throughout the day? What do I want to “look” at?
Then, when I go out into the world having this awareness, I feel prepared to meet the day knowing who I am and what I want. When I start to feel stressed or off balance during the day, I can recharge, take a few deep breaths, and maybe even go outside and look up at the beautiful sky!
What is your routine for recharging your batteries? I would love to hear your stories.
About Barb Schmidt
Barb Schmidt is an international best-selling author, businesswoman, philanthropist, and spiritual teacher with over thirty years devoted to spiritual development and research. In 2001, Barb partnered with Florida Atlantic University’s Peace Studies Program to promote dialogue in the greater community on the topic of inner peace. Additionally, she taught a class on meditation and spiritual practices as part of the life-long learning program at Nova University for five years. For the past ten years, she has been offering workshops and classes on spiritual practices throughout the world. A sought-after speaker, Barb regularly lectures at schools and organizations to spread her message of living a meaningful, happy life.
Life is pure adventure, and the sooner we realize that,
the sooner we will be able to treat life as art.”
—Maya Angelou
Life is art. How many times have we heard this statement? When we hear something often enough, we have to wonder for ourselves, “Is that true?” I absolutely think it is!
Art is everywhere. In life, creative expression has myriad purposes, and the way we perceive art and its meaning are unique to each one of us. The same is true for life. We actually have the choice to “make our lives a beautiful work of art.” We are walking through life—journeying, if you will—from our own vantage point to a destination of our very own making. Much like an artist creates his or her work of art, we create the landscape of our lives with the paintbrush of our words, actions, and experiences.
What if we approached every opportunity and challenge as if it were part of some great masterpiece we are creating? Remember in school when art class was such fun—a reprieve from math, science, history, and grammar lessons? I have to admit that art class was my favorite. I liked it so much that I showed up for every class with great enthusiasm, and my teachers really appreciated that about me. When we approach life as if we are taking a lifelong art class, life becomes a joyful journey! And, as Maya Angelou says in the quote above, “a pure adventure”!
But let’s be honest: sometimes life can feel more like work than an adventure, or fun, right? One of my close friends is an avid hiker; she has hiked many mountains all over the world and has had many stories to tell. So let’s picture a steep hike up a mountain. There may be rocky terrain threatening our footing, a cliff alongside our path, some boulders we need to scramble over, and sometimes even rain that makes walking uphill a slippery slope. Nevertheless, there are moments of pure exhilaration, the beauty of nature to greet our eyes, the wisps of high-altitude clouds, and the sheer delight of reaching the top. Now that’s a masterpiece!
Like a mountain hike, leading a magnificent life takes effort. There’s certainly no denying that. But we do it anyway. We do it because we know that each step we take has meaning; it has a purpose on our life canvas. Deep within our hearts we know that the rewards of our journey are many. They paint our lives in brilliant colors, interesting textures, and abundant splashes of peace, happiness, and love.
Yes, life is art, and each of us is truly creating and living an artful journey through our time on this planet! So, tell me, what does your masterpiece look like?
About Barb Schmidt
Barb Schmidt is an international best-selling author, businesswoman, philanthropist, and spiritual teacher with over thirty years devoted to spiritual development and research. In 2001, Barb partnered with Florida Atlantic University’s Peace Studies Program to promote dialogue in the greater community on the topic of inner peace. Additionally, she taught a class on meditation and spiritual practices as part of the life-long learning program at Nova University for five years. For the past ten years, she has been offering workshops and classes on spiritual practices throughout the world. A sought-after speaker, Barb regularly lectures at schools and organizations to spread her message of living a meaningful, happy life.
