Carl Cook spoke in October conference last year, and gave a talk about how he met President Monson in the elevator one day, and President Monson saw him staring at the ground told him, 'It's better to look up.'
I've been thinking about that a lot recently. Particularly because here in Utah, people tend to stare straight at the ground as they pass by you. They don't even nod or smile to recognize that you're there. After living here for 3 years now I started to catch myself doing the same thing. I was staring directly at the ground in front of me or the road that I was driving on - never taking half a second to glance up at who was passing or up at the mountains or the clouds in the sky. That is a bad habit to get into.
Think about the happiest people you know. KIDS! RIGHT!?
Now why are kids always so happy?
BECAUSE THEY"RE ALWAYS LOOKING UP!
First of all, they're short - so they have to look up. But even more than that - when you're little, everything is all about UP.
You look UP to your older brothers and sisters.
You're always told "Stand UP, hurry UP, catch UP, wake UP, get UP, hush UP, need a boost UP?"
Little kids lives are determined by their ability to look UP.
So recently, I've made it a habit to look UP. And it has made life better.
Here's some quick shots of things I've seen that I would have missed if I hadn't been looking up.
We should all be looking up more often.
I like you Andrew! I have been a chocolate milk drinker and a shower dancer my whole life! Love both of those things! I don't dance much in the shower these days. A nine month pregnant lady dancing in the shower is scary on so many levels! LOL I am training my kids to be chocolate milk drinkers and dancers too. LOL Growing up in the Chicago area, you never looked people in the eye, or even looked high enough that you might catch someone's eye. When I moved to West Virginia it was a whole new world for me. The first few months I lived there I complained to Dustin that everyone was staring at me and like saying "hi" and stuff. It kind of freaked me out. But then I started to love it. And I loved looking at the beautiful scenery there in WV. Here in Wisconsin, I have tried to keep up that WV mentality. I smile and say hi to all kinds of people if we make eye contact. It is amazing the reaction that you get sometimes. People do not expect kindness. The scenery is alot different here, everything is flat so you have to go looking for the pretty stuff. LOL But you are so right. You miss so much if you don't look at the world around you.
ReplyDeleteAmen Brother Coffman.......
ReplyDeletePretty darn good advice for all of us
ReplyDelete