Clouds 

Summer and clouds and lemonade to go with picnics in your own backyard. 

Beaches and day trips and mountain hikes and smiles as you nap in a hammock or your favorite chair. 

Clouds bring it all together for me. When I was young and now that I am in my third act. 

I prefer to sit under umbrellas on a mountain beach where I can peek out and watch for clouds to pop onto the horizon. There are clouds that are splashed with color on a different kind of day at the beach as the ocean breaks a few feet in front of my feet with family nearby.  

Clouds that become golden at the end of the day as I look into the eyes of someone I love, at the exact moment we remember something that only the two of us know. When time becomes timeless and memories are so near you can touch them.

A memory that includes clouds that brought rain as we played in a pool and laughed as soft drops landed around us and we watched for the clouds to move on. 

The beauty of them always make me stop. Breathe. Pause. Look for the hidden parts. 

Then

When I was young, I could find a horse or a perfect dragon or scepter with gems on top. A kitty cat or a smiling happy face.  There were times when we, my friends and I, would watch the clouds for hours. As if we had nothing better to do when our work was done and we could play away the day as we wanted.  

We choose to watch the clouds. We would show each other where the animals or shapes were in the clouds. We took time to tell each other where to look, where to see the top of the animal in relation to what cloud. 

I remember saying “ Look!  It is there!  Do you see it? Now look over there? Now, Yes I see it!  Can you see that animal?” 

Years later, I would look at the clouds with our son. We would be done jumping on the trampoline or playing in the sandbox. It started when he noticed that clouds caused shadows when they would pass in front of the sun. 

We started to watch the clouds and found tall clouds and small ones!  Long ones and short ones.  Clouds that grew bigger as we watched them and ones that rained on us as we ran into the house! We did find shapes and looked for animals and all of it brought smiles. We would watch the clouds for bits of time that grew as we sat on the grass or when we were finished jumping on the trampoline. The clouds cast shadows and let the light in again.

Oohs and aahs like daytime fireworks would come along with bright eyes and rounds of sign language.  Do you see that one?  Wow! Whoa! That one is funny!

Now

I see the clouds and I still pause but I cannot see the horse or the scepter.  Or the dragon.  

I do see the colors.  I do see the golden moments.

I see new shapes now. Shapes of waves like those on a beach or ones that rush over me and tall mountains.

Does that mean the other shapes are no longer there or are my eyes no longer able to see them? Does it take giving enough time to be still and wait until the animals and shapes appear?  Or, does the magic come back when younger eyes are around to see it all again? Do younger eyes help us pull back into the memories and remember what our son became?

I wonder if these questions have answers.  I wander as I wonder and I watch the clouds. 

Clouds, regardless of what is seen, bring the pause.  

Join in the pause, my friends.  That is what I do know today.