Everything seems so complicated recently. Why do we make things so difficult for ourselves? We look for answers in all the wrong places, searching for ever more complex solutions to the simplest of problems, when most of the time all we really need to do is remember what really matters.

That is what the simple life lessons series is all about.

Most of the time we don’t need extensive psychoanalysis, or mind-numbing medication, or even to over-think our position in life. We just need a bit of perspective.

I think the reason we forget to look up, is basically our own self-involvement. We are so pre-occupied with our own daily lives, that sometimes we spend most of our time looking at our feet, or looking to the next task on the to-do list. That’s okay, a good meditation on the stars will dissolve all of that.

I was standing at my door a couple of weeks ago, gazing up into the sky. I am lucky enough to be able to see a lot of stars from my house on a clear night. Someone asked me, “what are you looking at?” either as if I were a little strange, or as if they had forgotten that the stars exist.

The stars do exist.

My problems are instantly dwarfed when I stare out into the vastness of space. There is a stillness, and an expansiveness to the experience. It is quite easy to let your mind feel trapped in a building, or worse still a routine, but the night sky seems to free me from all of that. Consciousness feels as big as the cosmos when you observe space.

So this is the simple life lesson for today: don’t forget to look up. Look up to the stars. Look up to the sun, and watch the clouds drift on by. The night sky is like a constant beauty all around us, and the immensity of it really allows you to easily gain a perspective over your problems, yourself, and your life.

Anyone can look at the sky.

City skies have their own beauty, but if you want to get really lost in the vastness of a starry night sky, then maybe consider a trip out to the country every now and then, to reconnect.

I think this is an important life lesson. Try it and you won’t be disappointed. These experiences are inbuilt. Our connection with the cosmos is a part of who we are, not in speech or thought, but in experience. We all need it. We might forget that in our busy lives, but it is easy enough to remember. You will remember the next time you take the time to look up.