CLOUDS

LOOKING

One of my favorite early morning activities is to sit in my rocking chair in my living and watch the movement of the clouds.  It doesn’t matter if they are gray and not moving or if they are whips floating across the sky. One morning I saw 2 planes leaving a trail of ‘white’ while flying so fast it was like a pin point pulling the stream.  Quite remarkable, really.

Today I watched low gray clouds moving rapidly with blue sky and silver lined clouds above. They were radiant and an instant reminder of the TRUTH about what is real, or at least what to LOOK for.

LOOKING, really LOOKING is the most profound, deepening activity one can do. I’m learning to LOOK much more closely at everything . . . especially whatever I see in NATURE. EVERY place I LOOK, whether it is at the lake here at the VILLAGE, passing a tree, shrubs, flowers, soil, is a WONDER to behold. I could go on and on about the wonders of NATURE and all its magnificence and beauty, whether it be a pebble or a glorious bunch of flowers blooming!

There is another kind of LOOKING to PAY ATTENTION to and that is the LOOKING in someone’s eyes and really seeing into their soul as to who they really are. LOOKING does take a bit more effort than merely glancing at the news, what is going on in the world, half listening to a conversation or someone’s special sharing. When I am really LOOKING at someone, whether it be their sharing or the feelings behind their eyes, I always feel like I have connected to that person or object in a very special way.

Along with LOOKING, there is the LISTENING that goes along with any interaction that we experience. This is not easy to do. Sometimes we are fully engaged with a person and their conversation or sharing, other times we are bored. Just to at least NOTICE what is happening with us is the key. We can then choose if we want to stay present or zone out and think about what we might want to say.

When I LOOK into someone’s eyes who is sharing, I KNOW if they are ‘with me’ in conversation or not. LOOKING quite possibly can change the tenor of anyone’s day and make me feel that I have been LOOKING deeply at a brother or a sister in spirit with ATTENTION and COMPASSION. This is indeed my goal even when I ‘slip up’ once in a while.

There is another kind of LOOKING I’d like to mention and that is one of our ATTITUDE. Many times we are discontent with how things are going in our lives, other peoples ideas or ‘rules’ set up for us. We can make ourselves quite miserable and forge a new habit that does not serve us at all! Or anyone else.

As I gazed at the fleeting clouds swishing by I remembered a song I used to love and started to sing it out loud. It touched me to sing it because I knew it touched my heart.

Look for the silver lining

Whenever clouds appear in the blue.

Remember somewhere the sun is shining

And so the right thing to do

Is make it shine or you.

A heart full of joy and laughter

Can always balance

Sadness and strife,

So always LOOK for the

Silver lining

And try to find the sunny side of LIFE.

BLESSINGS