Clouds

I realized this week that clouds are taken for granted.  People have collections of different objects like animals, rainbows, hearts or flowers, but I’ve never met anyone who’s had a collection of clouds.

We live in a valley where it is sunny 360 out of 365 days a year (maybe a slight exaggeration but not much).  There are days when the sky looks like the opening scene from The Simpsons – blue sky and puffy white clouds.  There are days during the summer when you can watch the jet black storm clouds in the distance creeping closer and closer.  Then on those nights, you can watch a magnificent lighting show jump from cloud to cloud.

My grandmother was a self-taught artist, though she would tell you she was a painter.  She used oils and painted everything from still life to animals, portraits to scenes from nature.  Often she would find a photograph in a magazine from which she would create a beautiful painting.  One such time she had a photo that included an expansive sky scattered with clouds.  I remember looking at the detail of the clouds in the painting.  Up close, I couldn’t believe all the different colors she had used – yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, grey and just a touch of white.  Looking then from across the room the colors blended perfectly, they were almost indistinguishable, and the sky was beautiful. 

I’m not exactly sure how old I was when I first saw that painting, but I know that since then I’ve looked at clouds more critically.  I love to play a game with the kids, whether we are in the car or taking a walk, to have them name every color that they see in the clouds – “white” cannot be their only answer.  Of course we also play the game of what picture do you see - that game is timeless and a great exercise in imagination.  More than anything these games are a couple minutes out of our day where no one is staring at a screen and we are appreciating the simple beauty of what surrounds us.  It is a chance to stop and be in the present moment.

I know I am not alone in my love of clouds.  Friends post pictures of beautiful sunsets all the time.  I don’t know about you, but whenever I try to take a picture of the clouds, it just doesn’t do it justice.  Sure it’s pretty, but the vivid colors and intricate detail just can’t be captured with a simple camera.  It’s as if the moment was created just for you and those with you.  You won’t be able to recreate it.  You won’t be able to fully capture it, so you shouldn’t even try.  Just watch it, enjoy it and appreciate that you were able to experience a beautiful moment.

Heart-FULLy yours, 

Kacey