by Steve Sakiyama –
Peanut butter. It’s nutritious, delicious, and it looks great on my forehead.
While rushing out the door to work one morning, I glanced in the foyer mirror, just to confirm my professional attire and impeccable grooming befitting my wonderful personage. What I saw made me stop. To my amazement, there was peanut butter and jelly spread across the top of my forehead.
How did the stuff on my breakfast toast end up there? I laughed at the possibility of going through the day oblivious to what was smeared prominently across the front of my balding scalp: walking busy sidewalks, giving a presentation, attending a luncheon – all the while thinking that those smiling at me were responding to my confident demeanor. I imagined my luncheon server asking me: Coffee? Tea? A new hairpiece, perhaps?
These things happen when I’m in a hurry and have too much mind clutter. One time, while in a rush to catch an early morning flight, I threw on my clothes and ran out to a waiting taxi. The airport was busy, and the security screening was crowded. After walking through the metal detector with flying colours, I was surprised when Mr. Security politely asked me to step aside and wait. During a pause in the traffic, he asked:
“Sir, those jeans you’re wearing, are they new?”
“My jeans? Um, yes, they are new,” I said nervously.
“Well sir, you should remove all the price tags and labels. Your jeans are covered with them.”
“Oh.”
I was going to ask whether I had peanut butter and jam spread across my forehead, but instead thanked him for noticing the obvious, and sheepishly hurried away.
Speaking of things spread across the top, the sky can have streaks high above in the form of clouds, as if an artist used a gentle brush stroke to create a striated swipe of white on a blue canvas. These are cirrus (often called “mares’ tails”), a thin, feathery cloud found high in the atmosphere around five to 13 kilometres above sea level. Since it is very cold and windy at these heights, cirrus is made up of tiny ice crystals that are stretched horizontally into long wisps by the strong winds. Occasionally, some ice crystals fall out of the cloud and eventually dissipate before reaching the ground, creating thin white streamers that hang underneath it. As they move slowly in their graceful glide across the blue sky, these delicate clouds are a wonderful reminder of the breathtaking beauty on display high up in the atmosphere.
What kind of weather will spread across the sky in August? The outlook indicates a greater chance of above-normal temperatures, but no preference between wetter or drier conditions.
This month, slow down and take time to appreciate August in all its natural, resplendent beauty. In the rush and confusion of our busy lives, we can easily lose our focus and overlook the obvious things that are out of place. So take a walk in the cool of a forest. As the leaves in the canopy above flutter in the gentle breeze, they create a dappled, mesmerizing pattern of filtered sunshine along your path. While watching in breathless wonder, your mind clutter will melt, and your focus will sharpen on the important things in life.
~ Weatherwit
