The Importance of Looking Up at the Sky I’m a seeker. To depict this on my freelance-writing portfolio website, UnderstandingXYZ.com, I purchased a stock photo of a guy peering out into a bright sky. When I was searching for sky-oriented images, I was reminded of when I lived in Hawaii where the sky was always magnificent, constantly in view and unobstructed by typical, mainland city infrastructure. I realized how, since leaving the Big Island (40 years ago), I have adopted a bad habit of not looking up at the sky as much as I used to. So, first off, I started looking up more often; and yes, the sky is still magnificent, and gazing up into it helps put things into perspective – amazing how such a simple practice can have such a profound influence on your thoughts. Then I wanted to come up with a slogan – some words condensed that encompass everything I truly believe. So, after some deep thought and several edits, I entertained putting these words into the sky: “Be Marveled By The Universe & Always Honor Truth Above All Else.” From a graphic design viewpoint, it looked awkward. So I took that out and just left the open sky alone, although I do believe those words have deep meaning and I practice keeping them ingrained in my thoughts. I found another stock photo of a guy sitting at the edge of a rock formation looking out into the panoramic distance. I tried this image out as well, and I put the following words in the distant sky: “There is no single way, no single religion, no single philosophy, no one solid answer to why we are here; only our ability to pay attention and try to discover what’s really inside.” That, too, seemed to look awkward, so I took that out after a while and just left the distant sky as it was, although those words do resonate and are also ingrained in my thinking. I believe that being marveled by the universe and honoring your inner self are two of the most important life-affirming themes that make life worth living. The world of work we pursue throughout our lives plays out in concert with these two themes. Additionally, our pursuit of long-term life satisfaction, in general, works in concert with these two themes. Starting with the world of work, we all have our various material goals for the things we want. Many want the big house, the nice car, the ability to take wonderful vacations, nice clothes, a kitchen that will knock your socks off. Others want only the bare essentials – a comfortable place to live that has just enough room, a car or access to public transportation that will easily get you from point A to point B, a modest wardrobe that covers you well enough and is clean, comfortable and warm; and enough in your pantry and refrigerator to sustain a healthy diet. If you live in a studio apartment or a luxurious mansion really makes no difference in the amount of long-term life satisfaction you may or may not experience. The key is to be content with whatever you may have, unless you are homeless and starving, in which case you’ll have to keep trying to pull yourself out of your poverty misery and seek out some help as well. Regardless of your fate, the disturbing existential questions always resurface. Why bother if nothing is permanent, everything is random, and there really is no meaning? Wherever you are in this regard, take another look up into the sky and ask yourself sincerely if you need to do more or change. Ask yourself what you need to pursue in order to become who you really are. Push yourself to keep striving to obtain what you really want in life. It’s really that simple. The key is to never stop asking those questions of yourself and to keep looking up into the sky. Thanks for stopping by, George

“The sky is the daily bread of the eyes.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson