“You are the sky. Everything else – it’s just the weather.”
― Pema Chödrön

The fire crackled in the wood stove and coyotes howled in the distance while Craig and I did our morning reading and meditation. When I opened my eyes, the sky was ablaze. I ran out onto the deck with my camera, the colors becoming more vivid and complex with every breath.

We finished our breakfast as the light caught the snow on the wagon trail, reflecting pinks and reds and golds between the dark sage. The colors were still evolving when we started down the mountain. It’s always a good day when we see a moose. They bring me back to my childhood in Alaska. But this morning we were blessed with the sunrise, elk, moose, and a herd of deer crossing the road in front of us while drivers flashed their lights at each other in communal protection – of each other, and our fellow mountain dwellers.

Just a note on a December morning. In gratitude for the sky, the weather, and all they have to teach us.

Copyright © 2022 Carmel Mawle. All rights reserved.