Seeing the Horizon of an Emergent Future
The final week of January arrives with its quiet light, offering us the possibility to begin again. The horizon—where sky meets earth—is not just a distant line; it’s a reminder that the future, though unseen, is waiting to unfold.
I learned a lesson in seeing the horizon a few years ago while Jared was teaching me to ride a bike. Exhausted and frustrated in Riverside Park, I doubted I could master it. After several failed attempts to stay up longer than 30 seconds, an older man approached me and said, “Breathe and look up. Keep your head level with the horizon. If you can’t see the horizon, you can’t move forward.” His words stayed with me—a reminder that the horizon isn’t just a point in the future but a guide we carry in the present.
The horizon is ambiguous, like the year ahead—uncertain, unpredictable, full of unseen opportunities. Yet, it calls us to move forward with courage. Maya Angelou wrote, “The horizon leans forward offering us space to place new steps of change.” Her words challenge us to trust the journey and step boldly into what lies ahead.
As this week unfolds, I’m holding close a few reminders…
Be Still: “We start by stopping.” Octavia Raheem’s wisdom echoes the journey to the horizon begins in stillness. Pausing to breathe and notice expands our capacity to hold life’s dualities—grief and gratitude, uncertainty and hope. Black communities have long embraced stillness as resistance and renewal, gathering in prayer, silence, and collective care to process and imagine new paths forward.
Stay Focused on the Horizon: When training for long runs, my instructors always say, “Keep your head up and level with the horizon.” Lower your head, and clarity falters as the blood rushes to your head. Seeing the horizon—placing yourself there—is, as Dr. Gail Parker reminds us, a life-affirming practice. It requires discipline and focus, but it keeps us steady in uncertain times.
Remember — The Sun Will Rise Tomorrow: Here’s the thing—the sun will rise again tomorrow, and so will we. The horizon teaches us to trust. Just as the sun illuminates what was hidden, the path ahead will reveal itself in time. Trusting the process doesn’t mean having all the answers; it means believing in life’s rhythms and cycles of renewal.
Let us remember: be still and know. *
Let us remember: envisioning the future is a life-saving skill. **
Let us remember: community care will save us all.***
Let us remember and practice today. Our futures depend on it.
* Pslam 46:10
** Dr. Gail Parker
*** Tricia Hersey
