This is an amazing sunrise viewed outside my back door. One thing about living in coastal California that I have come to appreciate is the weather. Specifically, the stormy weather we sometimes receive, and its aftereffects. This last week was such a storm, a record-setter in fact. I don't have official numbers, but I think we got as much rain in a week as we normally get in a year. Back east, this would be something that happens practically every weekend!
The roads here are basically storm drains. They channel water away from hillsides and structures. If anyone saw video from Laguna Beach, you know of what I write. The muddy run-off water from Laguna Canyon was running straight down the main drags into the ocean, stronger than the waves coming in off the Pacific. Roads built for this purpose are not ones to be driven upon, but that is what Californians do. How else will they get to work, and in this case, being the week before Christmas, to the malls? I, myself, had a couple of torturous experiences in California traffic this week. But, with all that behind me, it's time to move on.
The good thing about rain is that it provides us with free water. I shut off my irrigation system about two months ago. Not that I use much water in the first place. In addition to the free stuff falling from the sky, we also get these incredible cloud formations. When the sun rises or sets, the sky produces the perfect canvas for Mother Nature's sculptured paintings. Their constantly changing form and colors will leave you awe-inspired, amazed, and totally thankful for your life.
There is a curious phenomemon out here that I have viewed, and also have participated in. It is taking pictures of the sunset. Clouds make the resulting picture more artistically composed, in my opinion, as they give the photo depth, height, and interest. Sure, the sun setting over Catalina Island does look nifty in a clear sky, but a photo taken with more varied and ever-changing colors and shapes adds a sense of uniqueness and a feeling of "I'll never see this again, it's a special moment." However, viewing a sunrise takes preparation or maybe some luck. If you have to get up to go to work early in the morning, sunrises are nothing new. If, however, you are not necessarily an early riser and something gets you up before the sun, you have been blessed with a rare opportunity to catch a scene such as that captured above. I have been on retreats where the sunrise was too important to miss, and was always rewarded with a surprise. One year, I saw a deer dancing in a field. Another year, I saw it rise over high desert mountains. Any way it happens, it will get your attention.
As I grow to be ever-inspired by my life out here, I invite you to see what inspires you in your life. As I contemplate the end of another year of my existence at this point in history, I reflect upon the births and deaths that occured this year. Two events that come to mind involve some very close friends that I have had the privilege to come to know since moving here. One couple gave birth earlier this year, the other couple just lost their beloved fur-kid. One a very happy and joyous occasion, and the other one is very sad. My heart fills up when I think of either event, and I realize that I can't have one without the other. I wouldn't know happiness if I didn't know sadness, suffering, and pain. And I wouldn't know sadness if I didn't have the joyous moments that make up my life, too.
For Clara, you are a special girl. May you grow into a beautiful and compassionate woman. For Sundance, you brightened many people's lives and gave much pleasure and laughter. May you find all your friends over the Rainbow Bridge.
Over and out. for now.
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