I've always been a dreamer, and relish moments when clouds whisk me away to the lands of imagination and adventure. Today's experience occurred while officiating a golf event, but it can happen anywhere. A hike, a drive. A boring meeting, when I sneak a peek outside and wish my soul was being nourished by these heavenly expressions of possibility and predictors of what future weather will envelop me in.
I could spend all day staring up at them. My hiking friend Shelley and I will challenge each other to find recognizable shapes and magical new creatures while hiking, making the miles flow effortlessly by. Other times, I just want to lay in a hammock, hovering on the edge of dreamstate while a breeze tussles my hair as I envision other worlds and adventures they could take me on.
And then there are days like this. My hammock was replaced by a golf cart, as I was officiating a golf tournament. A friend was replaced by competitors with whom I chatted, and the ground surface breeze was just enough to keep the air fresh. And the clouds? Magical cirrus formations that looked like angel feathers, drifting high in the atmosphere at 15,000 to 30,000 feet. To the left, a cellophane sheet of them cradled the sun.
These competitors were highly skilled club professionals, playing a magnificently layed out course that had little risk. It's the type that is often found at resorts destinations. A lot of beautified landscape, but little threat to such talent. At their level, the only thing they see is the target and distance. Ground obstacles are cosmetics, not concerns.
The only downside to my day was the drive home in the throws of rush hour traffic. It had taken me fifty-five minutes to drive there in nominal traffic, but the reverse was almost two hours because of rush-hour traffic. I had bought into that, knowing I had to be home for a meeting. It's times like this that I play back things I've written to catch flaws, or dictate new blog posts and short stories to organize and complete later. Or, on days like today, dwell in the memories of angel feathers on a sublime day.
