Look Up – This Week’s Mindfulness Focus
I’ve been busy cleaning up the yard and garden beds after a long winter. Green shoots of garlic, yarrow, lemon balm, and hops are making an appearance. And my new Black Knight butterfly bush has sprouted tiny leaves. It is easy to keep eyes focused down on the earth, scanning the garden daily for new growth. But I’ve also been scanning the trees to see which have started their spring “greeness” and which still only have tiny buds. My linden and hawthorn, like most trees, are in the latter category. It is an easy path from the trees to let my eyes sweep the sky.
Remembering Wonder
This week’s post is about a simple mindfulness practice and directive, just look up and see the sky.
Do you remember the fun of lying on your back as a child and watching clouds morph into dragons, lions, and other shapes? When was the last time you allowed yourself to do that? Do you remember your surprise the first time you noticed the moon faintly visible during the daylight hours? Or do you recall as a child following the trail of a plane across the sky and knowing there were people inside? People routinely move through the air in small metal ships. How amazing is that?
Once our planet turns away from our brightest star, the sun, the night sky comes alive with sparkling wonder. We can stop and be present to the beauty and vastness. We are on a tiny planet in an ocean of space. It is breath-taking and sobering to look up and contemplate. We are so small, but also a part of everything.
Taking a few moments each day and night to look up and really see the sky is the mindfulness focus for the week.
For more information on weekly focus words click here.
Websites that help identifying the night constellations:
There are also free constellation apps for your phone like Star Chart and Night Sky
One of my favorite resources is The Farmers’ Almanac, online and in print.
