the end of the day

The sky of our beautiful planet always interests me, whether it be a clear blue of a perfect day, a storm-clouded threat, or filled with fair weather cumulus clouds. Sometimes, though, the sky can take one's breath away.

Just across the desk from where I type is a small window to the world - the window that looks out upon the parking lot of the condo building where I reside. The usual view is a lot of sky, trees, the building across the lot and various vehicles, and the plants just outside the window where butterflies often drop by to feed. I can see storms coming in, birds flying over, and the neighbors come and go.

Most of the time the view is rather mundane, though nature's creatures always tend to brighten my day as they pass the little window. Every once and a while, though, the view catches my eye and insists I grab the camera and step outside the door. Last evening's sunset was one such occasion. In the window's frame were altocumulus and cirrus clouds tinted with shades of pink and orange.

Camera to hand, and with a call to my husband to join me, I dashed outside to watch the sunset unfold. Words are never sufficient to express the beauty of Mother Nature -- certainly, they can paint a reasonable description, but never really fill the mind's eye with the spectacular sight. Our neighbor came out to see what we were doing and for just a minute appreciated the beauty of the sky, too, before beginning to chat with us.

One of the photos I shot is attached. As always, I am in awe of the beauty that surrounds us. We often forget nature as we go through our busy days, and it seems to me our focus on work, the accumulation of things and what goes on inside the walls around us is often more important than sustaining the beauty and environment of our spinning blue and green globe.

Sometimes, you just have to stop what you're doing and step out into nature. It is key to who and what we are.