Dew Drops and Sun Rays
These dew drops came in the overnight hours and left as the morning wore on. Scientific terms like condensation, daytime heat, nighttime cooling, water vapor, saturation and dew points could be used to explain it all. That is interesting, but I prefer to consider the wonder of the dew drops rather than the specifics of how they came to be.
Wait a minute . . . How they came to be? Maybe I should pay more attention to the details of the process as I look with awe on tiny droplets of water clinging to blades of grass. It was not human action that created the dew. It was nature doing what nature does, all by itself. Many days I walk right past, my mind full of other, more urgent items.
Yesterday morning, I was compelled to slow down and notice. To attend to my surroundings and offer gratefulness for the beauty, rhythm, and intuition of the natural world. My reward was the humble peace in knowing I am part of something far beyond my own limits. I get to experience the richness and wisdom in this world when I simply pause and take in my surroundings.
A couple of hours later, I witnessed these sun rays shining through clouds on one of my favorite stretches of local trail. This particular spot is an amazing place to observe the changing seasons and ever-evolving colors. It presented an opportunity for me to expand my vocabulary with a new word–crepuscular rays–sunbeams shining through clouds or gaps in clouds.
I also learned that the rays are actually almost parallel to one another, but our perspective (as a small human on a huge planet) makes them appear to radiate out further and further apart. I had never thought about sun rays that much, simply admiring them. More humble peace arrived. My worries and concerns somehow deflate when I take a moment to get out of my own head and heart and see what else is in front of me and all around.
Nature is, and always has been, one of my best teachers and one of my most reliable means of feeling grounded and fully present. I am reminded to take these lessons with me indoors and into my interactions with others as well. Take time to pause. Listen deeply. Look at the person in front of me. Bring patience and understanding. If my words are sought, or needed, in that moment, may they be guided by more than just me and delivered like Nature delivers dew drops and sun rays. Onward, peacefully.
