Clouds

Clouds

By Maggie Gray

Rows and flows of angel hair

And ice cream castles in the air

And feather canyons everywhere

Looked at clouds that way

But now they only block the sun

They rain and they snow on everyone

So many things I would have done

But clouds got in the way ~ Lyrics by Joni Mitchell “Clouds”

We get up every morning and often look out the window wondering about the weather and how it will impact our day. On that day, at that moment, somewhere a child is born or a beloved family member dies. It is such irony - one person will now commence the joy of loving nature as another breathes their last bit of oxygen. Every moment of every day, we are part of nature. There is no ignoring her beauty or her wrath.

We take her for granted. Now we watch devastating flooding, horrific firestorms, and bodies of water extinguished and revealing its secrets. We don’t have to be political. We don’t have to argue whether the earth is warming. We can close our eyes and remember what it was like as a child. We swam in rivers and lakes not polluted with pesticides. We didn’t have to worry about taking our pets to the lake and jumping in with no care, only to discover the lake now infected and no longer a cool reprieve but a danger zone to our health. We see bodies of water that are essential to life drying up with no recourse. We could travel to foreign places and enjoy the culture, its people and its diverse foods. We could take safari and languish in the vast open miles of bush with its hidden dangers and extraordinary power. We didn’t have to mask up terrified of an invisible disease that has taken thousands of lives and yet disputed by just as many.

We worry whether our children will ever have the simple freedoms we had. There were no cell phones, no wireless routers enabling extensions of our work and home lives, or 75” televisions replacing artwork filling an entire wall in our living space. We never had social platforms that allowed for stalking, personal attacks and disgusting ranting in those days. We didn’t see the road rage incidents that are now everyday occurrences. We didn’t suffer the mass shootings as prevalent as we do now. We were simple and perhaps uninformed, but we now yearn for often that which we have lost and wonder how could it come to this?

We are now clouded by fear. We are often what seems on the brink of another violent act. We have police officers leaving en masse. We have become immune and brainwashed to daily violence. Another shooting? It stays in the news, front page fodder, until another violent act occurs. We “pray for their loss”, and offer worthless condolences. We are obsessed with upholding certain rights that perhaps are now archaic and need rethinking. The earth is crying, its inhabitants grieving, and we can’t see through the clouds of grief and frustration.

The wealthy want more and are never appeased. The poor are ignored or pitied and often placated with brief attention or charitable offerings. But do we step out of our comfort zones to help anyone less fortunate? When was the last time we sat down and tried to feel another’s pain because they are homeless or starving? When is the last time we felt someone’s grief knowing their child never came home from school and now they must do the unthinkable, bury their child. Can we know what it is like to endure mass flooding and lose ALL? Can we envision starting over with nothing?

Look around your home. Are you surrounded by things that could help someone else hurting? Do you have a gift you could share with someone to better their life? Do you have money that you can afford to offer to someone, an amount that could be the difference between homelessness or starvation? Do you have a neighbor you could help? It seems we often find ourselves donating out of necessity to get a tax break or guilt. To meet someone who is selfless is not always easy. They are often discrete and quiet. They have the heart that needs to help others. Often, you will never know of their generosity of spirit.

My dear readers. When was the last time you called someone to forgive them? When was the last time you donated your time? When was the last time you bought groceries for an elderly neighbor for no reason other than just to visit and see that they were okay? When was the last time you offered to transport homeless pets so that they could be brought to locations for adoption? When was the last time you used your talent to raise money or awareness for a good cause? When was the last time you did something that no one else would know about but changed a day in the life of another?

Or, are you too busy? Are you wasting time sitting on Facebook or other social platforms ranting or complaining about everything rather than doing anything? I look at interactions on social platforms as either the best one can get or the worst of society. So when you are looking at life “on both sides now”, did you let clouds get in the way? I guess Joni Mitchell said it best, if you can’t see outside yourself, then “you really don’t know life after all”.

Maggie Gray invites comments at maggie@grayheart.com

Maggie Gray is a Professional Photographer, Mentor, Author, Philanthropist and Owner of GrayHeart Photography, Maggie Gray inspires behind the lens or the pen.