Look Up

 

All I really want to share today are the lyrics from Mark Erelli and Dinty Child's magnificent song, Look Up. I heard it for the first time during a Rose Cousins concert (where I feel like I heard her for the first time, but I know I had before) where Mark Erelli opened. It was held in my church and there was a moment when I peered down from the balcony in the dark of the sanctuary and I was mesmerized. I followed the words of a song I was hearing for the first time but felt like I already knew, and it felt like something was being passed to me to hold. I can't quite explain it but the lyrics come back to me when I need them, and so does a sense of something calm and clear. 

Sometimes it means slow down and look up.

Sometimes it means stop looking down, look up. (Not cheer up, just look up)

Sometimes, a lot of times, it means stop looking in, look out and look up.

Sometimes it means something else.

Yesterday, I was at my sister's house. One of her chickens had an unfortunate vulpine encounter the night before. The neighbours who were chicken-sitting while my sister and her family were away and they looked after things, including some first aid in the aftermath and yesterday morning. I helped track down a a crate and delivered it for use as Mrs. Chicken's convalescent home. I also dragged along three loads of laundry, my sketchbook, and paints. 

Once I had eaten lunch (from a plate! there was a vegetable!), I took my lawn chair and sketching / painting stuff out to sit under the trees near the chickens. I could see Mrs. Chickens and her four coop mates were nearby, wondering about the set up but eventually returning to their business. The birds were chirping and buzzing (hummers!) and I started playing around. My phone rang at and one point, and at another I took a couple of photos and set my phone down. Something moved a few minutes later and I glanced to my right...

My camera was still on in reverse and I could see the sky and trees above me. It took my breath away. And then I realized I was literally looking down at my phone instead of up at the view itself.

And there it was.

Look up. Listen. 

There's so much more to the day than laundry and chickens. 

I watched it for a few minutes and snapped a photo to remind myself. I've just now decided to make it my phone's background. Trees aren't as good on the phone. You can't hear the birds or smell the good stuff if you aren't looking up. Look up. You never know what's right there with you, waiting to surprise you.

PS: Mrs. Chicken, actually named Bubbles, is recovering well and laid an egg in my sister’s basement this morning.