Archive for December 2nd, 2008
Look Up
In college and even today I’ve had a habit of taking note of people walking. I watch the length of their stride, what they are looking, etc. I notice a lot of people looking down as they walk, making very good mental notes about the state of the cement in front of them I suppose. I’ve always wondered why people look down so often as I believe there is so much to be enjoyed if we just raise our faces to look out in front of us. There is much to be missed if we spend our lives looking down as we walk.
Alex Ostrowski, a graphic designer in Bristol, apparently shares my desire to urge people to look up. He created this card, and I suppose its no surprise to you that I would love to do the same.
If you’re having trouble reading the text, it says,
“If you are feeling down you might try counting chimneys. Your eyes have specialised light sensitive receptors which relay your surrounding light levels to a gland in your brain called the pineal gland. In darkness the pineal gland produces Melatonin, a hormone which causes drowsiness in your body. Daylight inhibits the secretion of Melatonin. By lifting your field of vision to chimney level your body is able to lift your mood.”
May we all look up and count chimneys rather than down, counting the lines in the sidewalk.
