The Beauty Of Grey

I looked out the window of my bedroom and caught a glimpse of the sun's rays peeking through the darkness of the earth below and the grey of the clouds above, fascinated, remembering, thinking "it's been a long time-too long- since I observed a sunrise." I felt a dull ache within, brought on by too many days of holiday busyness. What I needed was a departure, a few minutes of time with my camera and an openness to see- to observe life apart from my usual routine.

Quickly I threw on my clothes, pulled my hair back into a pony tail, grabbed my camera, and flew out the door. "Sunrises don't last long" I told myself, "get moving or you'll miss it."

In the car I looked at the sky as I drove towards the east, realizing the cloud cover was too thick and those rays of sunlight I longed to capture didn't exist that morning, not where I could see them. But my eyes began scanning the scenery I passed, looking for possibilities, even in the grey. What could I see in the dullness of that day? Instead of being disappointed I sensed excitement, knowing something awaited me if I looked closely enough.

A recently man-made pond not far from home caught my attention. In the greyness of the morning it glistened with reflections of bare branches and cattails and high grass. I pulled the car over. I walked around and snapped my pictures, proceeding to a nearby stream, continuing to capture images. For a few minutes nothing else mattered- exactly what I had hoped for.