# To Stop and Look Back.

> An intentional shift in our gaze.

**Published by:** [On The Inside](https://paragraph.com/@ontheinside/)
**Published on:** 2023-07-15
**URL:** https://paragraph.com/@ontheinside/to-stop-and-look-back

## Content

Bodleian Divinity School in Oxford, England | Photo by Melanie JaneSubscribe now From the moment we enter Until the moment we are gone Our life is like a runway It’s journey we are on.Propelled in our movement What is in front our eyes see We are constantly progressing From point A to point B.Are we propelled and pushed onward? Or does our chosen movement lead the way? Perhaps that answer Depends on the day.Our glance gazes forward The natural state of our being When our glance gazes forward Is it only what lies ahead that we see?To the left and to the right Our peripherals may catch Seen in a glimpse For a moment, our eyes may grasp.Our focus is then shifted Our heads turned a new way Now our fears may begin chattering This was not the expectation for today.Should we question our decision? Our temporary diversion from the path Is the journey now halted? Because we did stop and look back?If moving forward is life Continuing along our way Are we ever granted space To find meaning throughout our days?To halt the trajectory The journey that we are on To shift our gaze backward To review the places where we have goneTo reflect upon what we have come from To pull lessons from our past To stop our forward movement To simply stop and look back.As I have progressed in this life As I have lived in my days I have now become curious And nothing short of amazedI am tempted to step forward To take this movement consistently As there is abundant pressure That is felt around me.Pressure to reach new levels New accomplishments New heights.Though it is in the moments of pause When lessons have flooded in through the light.When I have halted the footpath. When one foot in front of the other is no more When I have actively chosen To stop in my tracks And turn to look back.Some days I missed small things. A cute cafe. A sign on a door.Some days I am humbled Internally amazed By the pieces that I did not intake With my perpetual forward gaze.As my head turns over yonder An impeccable sight is now seen. Things once overlooked Now abundant to me.There are new moments of appreciation New thoughts in my mind. All it took was an inkling Then an intentional shift in my sight.To be here, in this moment Where I am taking more of my journey in Life seems to be fuller, There is an added ounce of felt bliss.For if I keep going, If my pace has no halt. If my eyes gaze only forward, Will I only live by default? Though we may be told to do differently. Though scary it can be. There may be lessons and learning If we take this approach, intentionally.For what if where we are headed Is not where we desire to be? What if where we are headed Aligns only with the past version of the?Yet today we are different. Our desires now do not match. Do we risk losing this insight? Do we risk succumbing to the path If we do not build in the moment To stop and look back? A note from Melanie Jane I have striven to incorporate this practice daily. To pause my forward movement and shift my gaze back. The photos shared have been taken in the moments of the look back. I am grateful for the perspective I have gained through this practice. I hope you enjoy these images as much as I do 🤍Vizille Castle in Vizille, France | Photo by Melanie JaneNear Borough Market in London, England | Photo by Melanie JaneTaken on a hike near Lacs Robert in Chamrousse, France | Photo by Melanie Jane

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