“Meditation” on the clouds
I stormed in the door hot and dripping with sweat from my slower-than-normal- 3 mile run with my unruly dog, and my unrulier thoughts, and announced in an icy tone to my mother that I was in a terrible mood. She asked what she could do, and I shot back hastily, my voice fraught with teenage angst, “Nothing, I need my water and I’m going to sit outside.” I unleashed the dog, grabbed my bottle off the counter and the door slammed behind me (was that the wind, or did I just slam it?). I made my way to the back of the house and sat on an area of flatness I found amidst the slopes and slumps of my backyard. The sky was forboding; a dark and heavy shade of grey tinged with dark blue, and the air had a sudden sharp coolness suggesting rain was in my immediate future. I didn’t care. The cloud straight above me was the darkest cloud in my view. How appropriate, I thought to myself. I looked to either side of me; the right had lighter shades of grey, like someone smeared grey-blue dyed whipped-cream across that part of sky. I looked to my left and saw a similar picture, though the left looked slightly more defined and less hazy than the right side. I took a deep breath and decided to focus my attention to my breath, and to the clouds. As I breathed and took in the picture to my left, I was surprised to find several patches of cerulean blue amidst the light grey whipped-cream clouds (were these patches there all along?).
It began to rain. Pour, actually. I was chilled, but a smile made its way to my lips. I stayed present for a few more breaths before getting up from my place in the grass, thanking the sky for its mercy, and making my way back inside.
