The Sky's Come Back

Yes. O.K. The sky is always there. I'm talking about my particular patch of sky. But, just for a moment....

I have to ask you. "How often do you actually stop, and look at the sky for, say, 20 seconds?" Go ahead. Look up. Use your eyes to explore all the sky you can see for 20 seconds. It's longer than you think. Try it. You'll find it's longer than checking to see if it's going to rain soon - without making you late for your next stop. Where ever that is. The sky can be rather beautiful. Especially if you remember to breathe.

Now. The main patch of sky I call mine is what I can see from my living room windows. There are two, and being right next to one another, they create an almost picture window. Usually, I can see quite a bit. This morning I realized my sky had doubled in size. The clouds seemed larger, more dramatic with the morning sun giving them incredible depth. At one point, a tiny sliver of silver silently crossed the blue depth between two monstrously gigantic white cottony clouds. It was like a children's story book illustration. That tiny, silver sliver was a "jumbo" passenger jet plane - so small as to seem unreal. It was all incredibly beautiful.

Where did all this space come from allowing my eyes to roam?

I finally figured it out. Very simple. All the leaves are gone. And I do mean gone. They've gone from the trees, gone from the vines, gone from the bushes. Autumn is done. What the leaves have left behind are living bones between me and the sky. The naked trunks and branches allow me, now, to see almost twice as much sky through my windows. They've become part of my sky. Perhaps it is Nature's compensation for the cold temperatures and long darkness at night. During the short days, with no leaves in the way, we get to see twice as much light. The canvas has doubled in size. The sun and clouds can really play with design, contrast, color, light and changing forms. And having it framed by my windows not only gives me a more focused view, it also makes it more precious.

In the summer, my patch of sky is half as big. So, yes. In a very real way, now that the Winter Solstice is fast approaching, the sky has come back.