Where do you look when you’re out riding and running? Do you gaze all around you, or keep your eyes fixed on the road or trail ahead?

It’s a blessing to be able to see, you see. People who lose their sight, or that were born blind still find methods of enjoying life. I’ve always been amazed at the lyrics written by Stevie Wonder, the blind musician that has given so perspective to this world despite his lack of visual sight. The contrasts he is able to capture in his singing of these words, such as these lyrics celebrating the joy of a newborn child:

Isn’t she lovely 
Isn’t she wonderful 
Isn’t she precious 
Less than one minute old 
I never thought through love we’d be 
Making one as lovely as she 
But isn’t she lovely made from love 

But also this, relating the grit it takes to survive in this world…

His sister’s black but she is sho ’nuff pretty
Her skirt is short but Lord her legs are sturdy
To walk to school she’s got to get up early
Her clothes are old but never are they dirty
Living just enough, just enough for the city (um-hum)

That’s why I never take my eyes for granted. Way back in 1980 I was told that one of my eyes had a retinal tear. The optometrist sent me to the Gunderson Clinic in LaCrosse, Wisconsin to have it burnt shut with a laser machine. It has held ever since, and I am grateful for that.

A few years back however, my eyes started to shed some viscous matter, resulting in an array of “floaters” in my vision. This frightened me because it came with some flickering light that might indicate a compromised retina Fortunately, things stabilized. But it reminds me that I need to go have an eye checkup.

As a visual artist, I spend a lot of time looking at things in unusual ways. My Instagram (@genesisfix) is filled with quirky observations of things I think are unusual or symbolic in some way. I only have 580 Followers, so it’s not like the world embraces my vision, but I take those pics for my own enjoyment, and because I crave something new in my life every day. I do it because I’m having fun.

That’s what the act of “seeing” is all about anyway. When we run and ride we get to see new things. Even on our everyday, run-of-the-mill routes, we can watch the sun come up another day, or study the long shadows at dawn or dusk.

When it comes to motivations to get out there and work out, the eyes certainly have it. For those who can’t “see” with their eyes, the ears play that role just as well. Stevie Wonder is proof of the fact that there is more than one way to “see” the world.

See what I mean?