Sometimes, being alone can leave you wondering how to change a melancholy mood on your own. It’s much easier when you’re with friends and loved ones, to lean on them for some help and encouragement to pull you up, into a more upbeat mood.
Sky over Manhattan
“I believe that if one always looked at the skies, one would end up with wings” Gustave Flaubert
I love horseback riding and pursued it as a favorite sport for a very long time. I loved jumping and practiced three times a week, hoping one day to vacation in Ireland on a horseback riding trek. One of the techniques that I found very difficult to master was to look up, rather than down, as I approached a fence or wall to jump over. Keeping my head up would help develop my skills enormously and improve my performance. It was challenging.
Sky’s no limit!
So I kept working hard, by going over and over the approach in my head. I visualized “looking up”, when I wasn’t actually riding. I think it was also a matter of trust. I knew that I was too much in charge and I wasn’t completely allowing my horse to play his own part in the jump. It’s a team effort. There’s an inexplicable moment when you have to transition and let go. That’s the looking up part.
When I finally mastered the art of “looking up” in the sport of jumping, it was a huge breakthrough! It made all the difference in the world. It was noticeable and I moved quickly, as a result, to a highly advanced level.
You see all sorts of new things when you look up
I often think of this exercise when I’m feeling a bit blue on my own. If you look up, it’s amazing what happens. We’re all so buried in devices, hunched over, walking intensely and not paying any attention to what’s around us. We all spend a lot of time looking down. Looking up is such a great discipline. We have to be reminded of it. And it’s amazing what happens!
Remind yourself to look up, find the sky if you’re feeling blue.
The sky is a natural draw at sunrise, sunset and on a dark night when filled with stars and moonlight. But the sky that graces the day can also be an uplifting and fascinating sight. It’s constantly changing. It’s a great reminder that things keep moving.
Try looking up at it, anytime and see what you find. I call it “skyscaping”. Look beyond the obstacles and find the highest point. And then go for it! Your mood will change almost immediately. And that’s “A Table For One” great moment.
Copyright 2015 Marion O’Grady
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