Open Your Eyes
This phrase evokes that newborn infant who first opens his or her eyes and sees the world for the first time. Before that, his world was very limited – just a dark, warm, watery place. Now there are wonders every millisecond: your mother’s face, your father’s hands, the warm blanket being wrapped around you.
As time goes on, we become, for lack of a better word, jaded. We stop seeing. Our eyes are open, but we are missing all the new revelations that life can bring day after day.
There is something kids (and dogs) know that as adults many of us forget: life is full of wonderment and there is joy to be had in tossing or catching or chasing a ball.
Although my roommate and I mock ourselves for the continual observation of the dog (“Oh, look now, look how cute he is holding his stuffed fish;” “Oh, look, his paws are so fluffy;” “Oh my god look how adorable he is right now he looks like a baby seal.”), we have noticed that every day is just a little more fun because Phin wants us to toss the ball, or wants to bring us his fish or his squirrel or any of his other pieces from his ridiculous collection of dog toys. And why is that? Because it keeps us in the moment and reminds us that life can still be a revelation just because of those little moments.
When was the last time you really experienced a moment of pure joy? Joy unadulterated by expectation or some condition being met? Just joy for joy’s sake?
When was the last time you just sat under an umbrella at a coffee shop and watched people and dogs and firetrucks and leaves caught in a sudden breeze?
Although daily life requires us to meet certain responsibilities, it does not require that we have no fun whatsoever. If you aren’t taking some time each day just to experience being alive, you aren’t living. If you are feeling depressed, find a nice look-out point with a view to the ocean or take a quiet walk in the woods. Don’t just walk – experience the world – and absorb the surroundings.
There is no greater waste than to waste a day not seeing.
