Wonderful

I walked home from a friend's place last night in a state of wonder. I walked westward, facing one of the most spectacular evening skies I've ever seen, and it happened on an ordinary day in the city that is my home. I hadn't gone to another part of the world to witness this natural beauty, I just happened to chance on it when the conditions were just right for creating the vivid, stratified, pink and pale blue cloud formations that graced the western horizon. I didn't think that pastel colours could be so vivid, but they were, and only as Mother Nature can create them.
Although I didn't perceive any movement in the clouds, the scene altered and shifted rapidly. When I realised how quickly the beauty before me would disappear, I began to quicken my pace to get home and take a picture from my back yard. I managed to do so while there was still plenty of colour and texture, but my efforts as a nature photographer left me disappointed. The picture I captured paled in comparison to what was out there. Nevertheless, I was grateful to have had some sense of what I'd witnessed recorded and filed away in my photo album.
The random gift that was presented to me at the end of a seemingly ho-hum day isn't the only thing I'll recall whenever I refer to those pictures. As I walked down the city sidewalk, focussed on the grandeur before me, I passed a lot of people - sitting in cafés and pubs, or walking the same direction as I. The glorious sky was so striking it was practically in-their-faces, but I could count the number of people on my hand who bothered to pause and look at it. Even people walking directly west didn't seem to notice at all, or, if they did notice - and I don't know which is worse - seemed completely unimpressed. Of the dozens of people I walked by, there were, of course, a few who were awestruck, and we exchanged a few knowing words or smiles. Mutual acknowledgement deepens appreciation. And boy-oh-boy, was I ever glad there were others who cared about the grand gift they'd been offered. My dismay in my insensitive fellow human beings was beginning to taint my elation, and also in danger of making me feel superior. (Not a good way to feel.) Fortunately, Mother Nature is mightier than I, and the magnificent sky she had painted overwhelmed and subdued my petty human concerns. Nevertheless, I was left with something to complain about in this little web of mine today.
I'm not really complaining, though. I prefer to think of it as "observation." And what I observed in the sky last night far outweighs my disappointment in my fellow mortals. It put things into perspective. Our Earth and all its wonders is greater than any single human being. We are all a part of this Earth, and indeed, all of creation. Spending a few minutes looking upon a vast and glorious sight brought out the best in me. I was there, and I was a part of it. I was filled with wonder. I was wonderful. Seeing a wondrous sunset made me that way, and that's the best gift of all.
Blessed be.
- G.P.