a fall morning with a new view

When I was a kid our house was next to a large, open field. On fall mornings the fog would roll in and fill the open space with a white curtain so dense you sometimes couldn’t see a few feet. My sister and I used to love trying to be surrounded by it, hoping it would feel like twirling in a cloud. We would run as fast as we could and chase it, wishing it would get thicker and thicker around us. After all, it looked thicker further away, so if we just ran fast enough…

These days sunrise on any given fall Thursday morning would find me in the kitchen rolling dough or shuffling loaves in an oven, rarely glancing outside. However, this particular day, I found myself with a change of view. Since Mr. Amazing and I decided that sanity demanded a pause on baking for the sake of progress I’ve been quietly missing my typical morning hustle, the feeling of silky soft croissant dough under my fingers, and watching bread rise on a stone deck. At 7am this morning I relatively leisurely poured my morning tea and enjoyed the warmth of the cup in my hand, which made me look out a window. And behold, there was a white cloud settling around the golden maple leaves. As the sun peaked through the branches, I could see the soft haze blowing gently in the cool morning breeze. I walked outside in the dewy chill and wished, just for a moment, that I could run fast enough.

We all chase so many things in our lives, from the daily grind to dreams for the future. All in the hope of, someday, twirling in our own magical cloud. Once in a while we get to pause, look up, and realize how much wonder is right around us.

Sometimes a pause opens our minds and hearts to a new view. Part nostalgia for the past, part appreciation for where we are, and part new views in the cloud for the future. So, today, I hope you grab a cup of hot tea or coffee, take a deep breath of crisp fall air, and twirl in the fog.