Look to the horizon

Clouds are illuminated by the setting sun, as seen from Woodstock’s East End Park. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

What captures our attention? It's a question we may not often ask, but the answer is pivotal to our lives.

What we choose to focus on is the rudder of our day, and how we start our day informs that focus and sets it on a certain course. However, we are still the captain of our own ship. We determine where that course ends up. A few years ago, I went sailing for the first time. It was important to know where the rocks were in relation to getting to the channel. One of the first rules I learned was to look to the horizon and pick a point to sail to, all while avoiding the rocks in the shallow water to get to the open channel. I could have focused on the rocks and never made it to open water, but instead, I made it to the channel and had a wonderful little sail around the bay.

Over the past year, our individual channels of attention encountered multiple figurative rocks as the world changed. Many of us looked out on the world with a different perspective, one that thought of our neighbors more than ever before. Our attention had shifted. The world, our communities, our neighborhoods seemed closer, because of our new, shared experience.

The question is, where do we invest our attention now? This is an individual answer, and as such, answers will vary. However, the best and most productive focus is to emphasize the good every day in the present. Even on our toughest days, the act of moving forward, rising above negative influences, and finding a way to accomplish our goals adds to the collective good. Each individual triumph uplifts the whole. Every neighbor helped, every hurdle crossed, every new insight glimpsed is a light on the horizon we all can share, because we are not separated from each other.

We live in our world together, and every day is an opportunity to see that fact further demonstrated. Plenty is out there to try and divide us further. But we each have a path illuminated with progress, even on the darkest and most impossible days. It begins with turning our attention toward the horizon, the light, the good, and never giving up on that effort. Let's seize every morning as a new opportunity to look forward and see the great possibilities before us.

— Gareth Henderson