How much of the picture do you see when you look down?

Every day, as I trudge along on my morning run, I notice what is on the ground in front of me... ice, cracks in the sidewalk, and lots of brown oak leaves that have accumulated from past seasons.

No matter where you are stuck or overwhelmed, how does balancing what you see support your optimal health?

​I concentrate on what is right in front of me and watch for ice and cracks to prevent falling.

And everyday, I notice the leaves.

The leaves are right under the surface of the snow, along the edges of the sidewalk, next to the chain link fence, covering the hillside leading down to the train tracks. They are subtle and they blend in with the surroundings, but they are there, easy to see when I look.

They remind me of past seasons, of people and dreams that I won't see again. They remind me that seasons turn, one by one, in nature as well as in life. And I remember that all of that past - the easy, the painful, the joyful, the sorrowful - is integral to who I am, right now, running on my path.

And then I look up and everything changes.

I see the faint outline of soft fuzzy buds on the trees - yes, even in the midst of deep winter they are everywhere, once I start to notice them - and I am reminded that new life is coming, that new dreams are waiting to be born, that there are endless possibilities.

When I am so focused on looking down, I only see half of the picture. Looking up provides balance.

When I remind myself to look up, to notice possibility amongst the mundane, it feels super healthy.

Make balancing what you see, every day, a healthy habit.