Not all those who wander are lost. J.R.R. Tolkien
And not all who wonder are ignorant. I want to stray from the path, turn off the GPS, fold up the map and get lost. Get away from certainties and absolutes. Dream. Enjoy the journey.
Today as I wandered, I wondered about clouds. Big marshmallow fluff that magically morphed into mermaids and dragons. Sharp whiteness against a bright blue sky. Clear day clouds. No haze. A feel good sky. I appreciated their beauty without knowing the name of the clouds billowing above me. I think they were Cumulous, but does it really matter. Will naming them change their wonderful whimsy? Their splendor?
If there had been a companion with me on my wander, perhaps we could have talked about it. Wondered awhile on clouds. Our conversation could have floated into the past, where as kids, we observed clouds from a grassy hillside on a lazy summer day. Fresh cut grass sticking to our bare legs. The buzz of bumblebees our soundtrack.
Talk drifts to Elementary School. Earth Science. Cloud names that were hard to focus on as we gazed out the window looking for the real thing.
We'd ask one another, have you ever flown above the clouds and seen the ocean of softness below you. Certain it could hold your weight. Wishing you could roll in it.
Then we'd wonder whether people take the time to watch a lazy summer sky these days. Wondering about life. We could Google "clouds" and name them all in a few minutes. But it sure is nice just to wonder. Now......for just a little while.
