Looking Up

Every person is shaped by their experiences and habits. Though we often don't think about it deeply, many of our routine activities greatly influence how we interact with the world around us.

Here's one example. Unlike most people in the western world, I don't sleep a foot or so above the floor. I sleep on an old futon mattress ON the floor. I haven't regularly slept in a bed for nearly twenty years and the few times I have slept in a bed during this time, it messes up my equilibrium as I feel as if I'm perched on a skyscraper.

Since I spend so much time at ground level, I notice things that most people never see. I often watch little wisps of lint as they float about along the carpet. I sometimes get to watch small bugs as they navigate across the floor. My bedroll is near a bare window (with only woods behind our house, I see no need for a curtain) and so I go to sleep watching the clouds or stars.

When a person constantly is towering over things, it makes it easier to see separation. However, when a person's orientation is at ground level, it makes it easier to see the web of interconnection. So, me thinks my outlook on life is greatly impacted by the fact I willingly sleep on the floor.