Rows and flows of angel hair,

                                            And ice cream castles in the air,

                                            And feather canyons everywhere

                                            Looked at clouds that way.

I have always been a great admirer of Mother Nature's handiwork. I delight in birds, trees and flowers and all things in nature. I have decided that her greatest invention was the cloud!  

A number of things led me to this conclusion. First is the kaleidoscopic nature of clouds. All of nature is constantly changing, flowers bloom for a day, rivers cut new courses and tectonic plates shift over the eons but nothing else in nature changes as quickly as clouds. At the mercy of the wind clouds are completely fluid. They are always shape shifting from second to second providing us with a never-ending show.

Since the dawn of our species, the shape of clouds has stimulated the human imagination. Our modern science tells us that what we are seeing when we look skyward are masses of water vapor suspended in the atmosphere, despite this knowledge, our storytelling brain sees elephants, Gods, and other fantastic sights. Looking at clouds switches on our desire to create patterns and make sense of our world. In an age when we are bombarded with a steady stream of carefully created images and ideas, clouds allow us to exercise and enjoy our creativity. 

Perhaps the best thing about clouds is that their beauty is always available to us, no matter where we might find ourselves. Even in the canyons of Manhattan, clouds provide us with a connection to the natural world. We may have to lean back a bit and crane our necks but, these fluffy chunks of natural beauty are waiting for us right above our heads. It may seem odd but skyborne clouds have always helped keep me grounded! On stress filled, hectic days a glance at the sky calms my soul and reminds me that the world is far bigger than my tiny earth-bound problems.