You’re likely to be outdoors at this time of year sunning or maybe reading, maybe both. Stop. Look up. Take off those reading glasses. Take it all in.

State Beach, Martha’s Vineyard, 2015. Photo by Suzannah Gilman.
Or you’re on vacation, walking through crowds. It’s hot, the cobblestones slow everyone down. So stop. Look up. Be the one who takes it all in.

Piazza della Rotonda, Rome, 2012. Photo by Suzannah Gilman
Like a child, you love a boat ride. You’re busy watching the shore. But wait. There’s more. Look up. Take it all in.

On the Thames, London, 2016. Photo by Suzannah Gilman
Some things can best be seen only by looking up. So when you stop to do that, is it cheating? Who cares! Look up. Take it all in!

The Eiffel Tower, Paris, 2016. Photo by Suzannah Gilman
Hurry and look up. Life passes quickly, and you can’t stop it. But you can still take it all in.

Fifth Avenue, New York, 2015. Photo by Suzannah Gilman
You can see things that couldn’t be seen before, sometimes, when you stop and look up. So breathe deeply and take it all in.

Tintern Abbey, Tintern, Wales, 2009. Photo by Suzannah Gilman
Or you see something in a different way than you could have before, when you stop and look up. Take it all in. And take a selfie, too.

On the Seine, Paris, 2016. Selfie by Suzannah Gilman
Nature changes, but how much do you notice? Look up from the sidewalk and take it all in.

Queen’s Gate, London, 2016. Photo by Suzannah Gilman
A change of scene, a change of scenery. We know one tree is not like the next. But we miss out on the differences if we don’t stop, look up, take it all in.

Sandy, Utah, 2016. Photo by Suzannah Gilman
Maybe you haven’t been there since you were four. Will your memories match up? Stop and look up. You have been waiting so long. Take it all in.

Pacific Coast Highway, Santa Monica, California, 2012. Photo by Suzannah Gilman
Even if you’re already up, stop. Look out every now and again, or you’ll miss something. Who knows what? Maybe it’s the day pigs can fly. Wouldn’t you have a story to tell then!

Somewhere in the great blue beyond, 2015. Photo by Suzannah Gilman
Get your head out of that phone. Be the realest thing around. Stop and look up. This is “your one wild and precious life.” Take it all in.

Harlem, New York, 2016. Photo by Suzannah Gilman
“Your ne wild and precious life” is from the poem “The Summer Day,” (c) Mary Oliver, 1992.
Look Up – July 8, 2016
Categories: Suzannah's Voice
Reblogged this on I just have to say… and commented:
“Get your head out of that phone. Be the realest thing around. Stop and look up. This is your ‘one wild and precious life.’ Take it all in.”
Twelve travel photos and a few words to go with each one. Visit Martha’s Vineyard, Rome, Paris, London, New York, Santa Monica, Tintern (Wales), and Salt Lake City in three minutes!
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Perfect teminder, thank you!!!
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You’re welcome! Thanks for reading. I realized I forgot another photo from NY, which I took specifically because it is said that New Yorkers don’t look up, only tourists do. If that’s true, NYers sure miss a lot.
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Perfect reminder, thank you!!!
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Reblogged this on Lisa Lanser Rose and commented:
Wow–love these photos and the reminder: “Get your head out of that phone. Be the realest thing around. Stop and look up. This is your ‘one wild and precious life.’ Take it all in.’
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BOM DIA SUZANNAH ..EM SÃO PAULO ..BRASIL
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Nice photos Daniel h . Gray Good eye
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lol… I do wonder if people think I am crazy as I walk by. When I am on my own I’d stroll at snail pace, look all over the place and at pavement, at spaces between leaves, at random objects on the street or people.. and I’d have this goofy face. Glad to know I am not the only one : P
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Great message! I constantly have to remind myself to “take it all in”, thanks for the reminder!
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nice photos
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