EYES UP by Lee Hoedl

I'm sure it is not specific to my children... at least I hope not. Within the Catholic Mass, there is a portion that is dedicated to what is known as the "Consecration." It is the portion at which we reverently kneel through two lengthy prayers and it is the portion where at least one of our triplets (Emily, Hannah or Nicholas) finds it convenient to place their forehead on the pew in front of them, with their eyes gazed downward. Each Mass, because I feel it's important for them to visually witness this reverent act by the priest, I will remind them, "Eyes up..."

Should you ever find yourself in a shorter road race or a lengthy marathon and are wondering if you have enough fuel in your tank to pass that runner just in front of you, here are a couple easy wasy to tell:

Is the runner in front of you running with their shoulders hunched, pulled up by their ears?

Is the runner dragging their heels when they strike their feet to the ground?

Is the runner clinching his/her arms so they are running with almost clinched fists?

Is the runner in front of you running with their head down?

These are all tell tale signs of being "unrelaxed," bordering on tired and exhausted. In particular, one of the first signs to occur when a runner is tiring is their head drops down; they begin gazing at the ground or their shoes rather than at the sky or horizon.

One of the first recommendations I make to someone training for a distance race such as a marathon is to continue to monitor their stride, their arms/shoulders, their breathing and their head. In particular, I encourage them to remember to continue to keep their head up and to scan the horizon for several reasons:

- To see if anything, amidst a mass of marathon runners, is about to occur in front of you (ie. traffic jam, water station, collapsed runner, road detour, etc.)

- To help from becoming "bored" over all those miles as your mind begins to wander

- To allow your trachea to open up fully and give your lungs as much air as is possible with each breath

- To allow your chest to become more upright and take any pressure/compression of of your diaphragm

You see, my friend, endurance running often times mirrors Life. When we get further down the road in our travels and we start to become physically, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted, the first thing to occur is our head drops. We may easily get distracted, depressed, confused and lost; we find ourselves not receiving the proper amount of "air" to keep us going on our journey. As you walk down the sidewalks and streets of your life, you will begin to notice the downcast eyes and the dejected spirits. You might even glance up in your morning mirror and see that it is you that has the downcast eyes...

I share this with you, my friend, because we each need to remind ourselves - through each day, each difficult or perplexing life situation, or moral dilemma or doubt - to lift our heads. Eyes up. We each need to remind ourselves and each other to glance heavenward from our sometimes confusing and troublesome life and remember who is ultimately in control and in charge. Eyes up. We can't lose our focus. We can't take our eyes off the horizon and the heavenly finish line that awaits each of us. Eyes up. We need to give our life all the "air" (emotional and spiritual support) it deserves to survive and thrive. Eyes up. And we need to release any undue pressure we personally put on ourself and our life. Eyes up.

My father had written this brief quote from Dale Carnegie in a personal journal of his many years ago and had shared it with me. You may have already read it, but it bears worth sharing one more time:

Two men looked out from prison bars; One saw mud, the other saw stars.

When those sacred and profound moments disguised as ordinary moments in your life occur, be sure to remind yourself, "Eyes up."