My mom was a philosopher, who never got proper credit for that. One of her early lessons to me was about clouds. Mom had little spare time, what with extra men to feed, a coal range to cook on, a washboard for laundry, and no indoor plumbing, but she managed to find a minute to read to me in the afternoons, until I could read on my own, which happened at age four. I’ve suspected she taught me to read early so she wouldn’t have to take time out for that, but on the other hand, she surely needed a chance to sit down, however briefly. But she always made sure to point out the meaning of fables and fairy tales-how the hare lost the race because of laziness; the turtle won with slow and steady progress, and the little match girl used up her resources foolishly.
In summer, we’d sometimes lie on a blanket under a shade tree, of an afternoon, to watch clouds. She spoke a lot about silver linings, and how the gathering thunderheads looked like popcorn. That part seems strange now, because we hardly ever had popcorn, but Mom made sure to point out that impending storms would freshen the air and make grass grow. “Every cloud has a silver lining,” she said.
Here in the country, we have a clear view of sunrises and sunsets. The dogs make sure I’m up for sunrise. Their inner clocks seem set to light and dark. Some mornings, the sun jumps right up, almost before I notice, because there are no clouds. A partly cloudy sky turns sunrise into a glory of pink, purple, gold, and saffron. The display never lasts long, it’s like the day is in a hurry to get on with whatever is planned.
Sunset is another story. The afterglow lingers, even when the sky is clear, but if there are a few clouds they retain the colors for a long time. Mom always said it takes some clouds to get the real beauty.
All that being said, I’m a sun worshipper. Cloudy days bring me down, and I struggle to be cheerful. Thunderstorms brewing in the west have me watching for lightning fires and funnel clouds. I blame that on the fact that we get weather reports on demand now, often predicting disaster. The forecasters always focus on bad news and generate fear. One can get equally depressed watching weather channels or talk shows.
Author Sarah ban Breathnach said, “It’s not an adventure if there are no dragons.” Adventure is something we all seek, and it’s not always comfortable, but at least you have some stories to tell the grandkids. My city born mother dreamed of coming west and marrying a cowboy. She got her adventure, and a lot more than she bargained for, but silver linings were her saving grace and her lessons about looking for them have gotten me through a lot of unpleasantness. I regret not having told her so.