Calvin of Calvin & Hobbes once said,
"If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, I'll bet they'd live a lot differently."
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| My favorite view of the sky from a small courtyard in Tuscany by Bill Slavin |
If you have been feeling as stressed as I have over all that has occurred in the last few months, I hope you will, like me, walk out where you can see the sky, either day or night. Now that summer is here, I find myself looking up to the sky often. The blue is intense, but calms my spirit. I can take a deep breath and relax as I watch turkey vultures soaring in the thermals near Mt. Diablo. They look effortless and beautiful sailing far above my head. When they land next to the road, their whole aspect changes. They are ugly, with naked red faces. They group together and stare. I look up at the sky again to avoid their gaze.
Cerulean blue provides the best sky blue in watercolor. I can capture that intensity with a Cerulean wash.
Dabbing out the clouds with a piece of original Viva paper towel makes the clouds and sky connect. I didn't have any Viva when I did the quick sketch in Norway. You can see the difference in the two skies here.
On my walk again I watch wispy clouds pass by touched by the wind. I catch the flutter of two yellow swallowtails, twirling around each other. Woodpeckers twist and turn to look for a vulnerable tree to stash their nuts in, the junkos hope to find one more nesting spot, the hummingbirds soar up and down, catching minuscule insects while they head towards the salvia by the roadside. Even the crows are worth watching as they dash from one tree to another trying to escape the caws of their baby, whose beak opens, shoulders hunch, begging for more, more.
With all that 2020 has brought to us and since we are at the apex of the year, I hope you will take a moment, day or night, to walk outside and look up at the sky. I know I need that pause before I go back to creating ways for me to be involved in the discussions we need to have in our country.
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Thank you to Mary, Joan, and Pat for the Soul Boxes you have made. The first box is in the mail today.
I agree, spending time looking at the skies, and lately some wonderful clouds helps you refresh yourself.
ReplyDeleteOn Science Friday today, talking about ways to help children's mental health during the pandemic, a speaker said how important it was for caregivers to take care of themselves because "an empty jug cannot provide water to anyone."
I printed a couple of my sky photos on letter-size paper and used them to make soul boxes. I shall explore my photo collection for more ideas.
I hope you took a photo of your boxes. Thank you for participating in the Soul Box Project, Pat.
DeleteI like the quote from Science Friday.
Thanks for the blue skies, Martha! For me, blue has always been the color of hope.
ReplyDeleteI like that idea, Teresa. Blue is the color of hope.
Deletefrom Lori G on FB: Martha, I so love your blog today! When I was teaching composition to juniors and seniors some years ago, I had them write a
ReplyDeleteparagraph after spending 20 minutes quietly by themselves looking at the sky. It as the best, most profound writing I ever received as a teacher!!!! Living in NM and looking at
our fabulous sky brings me great joy!!
I so wish I could have read some of your students' writings. Having them take the time to look at the sky must have changed them.
DeleteFrom Sharol on FB: Lovely blog post! I was working out in my backyard today and noticed the last whisks of morning fog swirling and evaporating far above me. It formed a swirling heart before it vanished into the blu
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sharol, it's always good to hear from you. I love the idea of a heart-shaped cloud. I saw one on our trip to Norway above a little town next to fjord. Beautiful.
DeleteFrom Sara-Ann on FB: Beautiful writing and photos Martha Heimdahl Slavin. Finally blue sky and puffy clouds after two weeks+ of smoke clouds. We are so grateful for them. We hope they will bring a little rain. Probably not but we can hope.⛅️
ReplyDeleteI am so glad the smoke has calmed down. We are entering fire season with more than fingers crossed this year. Thanks for your comments, Sara.
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