Looking Ahead!
I went for a walk by the lake this morning with a friend.
As I often do when walking by myself, I hopped up onto a parking curb and walked the length of it putting one foot in front of the other. When I reached the end I paused, looked ahead to the next curb, and stepped across the gap without touching the ground. My friend chuckled when she saw me – a 50+ year old woman playing tightrope on parking curbs in broad daylight…..but I didn’t care and just kept on going. After a moment, I smiled to myself as I heard her step up onto the parking curb behind me to give it a try herself. Finding it a bit more challenging than she thought, she hesitated when she nearly lost her balance. “Always look ahead!”, I called back to her. “Don’t look at where you are – look ahead to where you’re going. It makes it easier!” She tried it – and it worked instantly. She too began stepping from curb to curb behind me, trying to walk the entire line without touching the ground. (I only stepped off twice.) It was fun!
As I walked, I thought about the advice I had given to my friend – and how much it actually applies to life.
“Don’t look at where you are…!”
Looking down at our feet throws us off balance and leaves us unprepared for what lies ahead. When we’re looking forward to see where we’re going, we walk more confidently and successfully.
Our lives can often be fairly hectic – filled with bills, decisions, responsibilities, news reports, and the many stresses of life today….If we focus our attention mainly on those things, on where we are, our days can be pretty difficult. Even things that are supposed to be fun can be disappointing!
“… look ahead to where you’re going.”
Setting goals helps us keep our eyes on what’s ahead. One of my favorite Bible verses is Proverbs 29:18 “Where there is no vision, the people perish…” This verse can be interpreted in different ways, but I like to think that it means we should have vision for the future, that we should set goals and work toward them excitedly and expectantly. My goals perhaps aren’t always particularly impressive to hear – but they are motivating to me – and they keep me looking ahead to better things.
When I broke my arm this past February, I had no idea how long it would take that arm to feel normal again. I had never broken a bone – so in my ignorance I thought the doctor set your arm, you wore a cast, you got it off, you did therapy for a few weeks and you were good to go forever. This has not been the case at all with me. The break in my arm healed, the cast/splint was removed, and I was sent home with a printed paper explaining the therapy exercises I should do. (Due to COVID-19, supervised therapy was not recommended.) I did the exercises and truthfully they didn’t seem to help at all. I reached out to friends and tried other exercises they suggested. These helped a bit more and I was grateful – but my right arm (my dominant arm) still had a long way to go! I had trouble writing. I had trouble typing. I had trouble driving. I couldn’t even open the door to my car without great effort! My arm was in pain much of the time. Most of my normal day-to-day activities were hampered by my temporarily handicapped arm. So, I kept on working. I tried some new strength building exercises. I researched essential oils to help with healing and applied them daily….and each day my arm gets a little bit better. It’s on the mend! I can now type (obviously! 🙂 ). I can write. I can open the car door. I can drive….
Why did I keep on looking for ways to make my arm better? Because I KNEW it would be fine one day – and I wanted to work to make that happen as soon as possible! I didn’t focus on where I was – I looked ahead happily to the day my arm is back to normal.
It makes it easier!”
How does looking ahead with vision and a good attitude make things easier? Life is happier when we are thinking and planning on good things!
For example, it’s supposed to rain here much of the day tomorrow. So……I can’t go to the pool for a swim. I can’t go for my morning walk. I can’t work in my flower bed.
Hmmmmmm….that means I can plan on a cozy slow morning indoors! I love to read. That sounds like a good option for tomorrow! For some reason, I always enjoy cooking and baking more when the rain is falling outside. I’m already thinking about what to make! Sounds fun! If I’m going to be home in the morning, I don’t have to put on makeup when I wake up! Yay! Another win! I love to write. Maybe I can squeeze in some time for that while it’s raining. Wow! It’s already sounding like a great day! I’m excited!
Choosing to think on good things is sometimes more difficult than others – but it’s worth the effort. It doesn’t mean we should ignore the bills, the responsibilities, the decisions – it just means we should work to not get mired down in them. Worrying about them doesn’t make them go away. In fact, it doesn’t really accomplish anything at all…..but choosing to think on good things can definitely have a positive effect! Try it!
Oh, and by the way, the next time you see a parking curb – step up and see if you can walk the length of it tightrope style.
Go on.
I dare you!
But be careful – seriously…broken bones are no fun! 🙂
(And no – that’s not how I broke my arm! 🙂 No parking curbs were involved in my fall! )
Great advice, Lisa! I always enjoy hearing your thoughts and perspective. Refreshing!
Love it. I can so easily see ho I can incorporate this into the lives of my new 4th graders. It may be a team building event in the parking lot to see who figures it out and shares the help.
Good advice to look ahead, but I’m going to pass on curb walking.