I woke up before the sun and noticed bright pink hues painted across the dark sky. Excited to watch the sunrise, I quickly put on shoes and rushed out the door. It was chilly and I invited the crisp air in, taking full deep breaths.
As I walked, the sky continued to brighten from pink to orange and red. It looked like the sky was on fire and the sun was still far from arriving.
There is a hill at the park near our house. It looks over the bay with the mountains and skyline within view. I stood there alone, not another soul nearby except for a few birds.
“I feel so happy right now.” I said out loud to myself.
We returned home from a trip last weekend and I spent all Monday in bed with a cold/flu. I was annoyed that I wasn’t feeling well and that all my efforts to stay healthy while traveling didn’t work. After testing negative for COVID, I hoped it wasn’t going to be a drawn out cold.
I woke up the next day feeling a little bit better, but still groggy so I eased my way back into working. When I opened my email, I was inundated with over 400 messages on how I can save money if I shopped THIS week.
The familiar rumblings of discontent swelled as I looked through a few.
“Do I need new boots? Maybe I need to buy our new couch this week.” I scrolled and found myself down a rabbit hole of consumer fatigue.
These emails also made me think about my own business. I’m celebrating 9 years in business this month and figured I probably should email THIS week as well.
I think we all have a tendency to do this; react to outward circumstances. If we see others doing something, we tend to fall in line. Social proof is powerful. Email marketing works. A photo works even better. Video is the best!
When this happens, I notice a numbing effect come over me. It’s like I am acting thoughtlessly, not taking it all in.
There is something so powerful about nature and its ever changing beauty. This morning, I found myself standing in awe of the sky.
Maybe I’ll buy something from one of the hundreds of marketing emails…maybe I’ll send my own email out this week, maybe not.
What I do know is that in the midst of living and doing, taking time to stare at the sky can be the perfect reset to the anxious energy floating through my body. (especially this time of year)
It doesn’t take too much for me to feel really happy. The more I consume, the more I think I need. But if I heed the call to be in nature and notice things like the subtle changes the sky make as the sun is about to appear, I find that happiness is always available. And for that, I am giving thanks today.