Look up, Look up - A Day for Mother Nature's Sky

                I was flipping my calendar, the other day, when something unusual caught my eye. It seems that next week, April 14, 2015, is “Look up To the Sky Day”. What does it mean? Well it’s a day when nothing in special in particular happens. It’s not a day off, or a day to make a lot of noise or exchanges gifts or candy or anything like that. It’s just simply a day to stop for a moment and take a look up at the sky and see what’s going on. It’s a day to acknowledge one of Mother Nature’s finest canvases.

                Here’s a reminder of all the amazing things you just might see up there.

·         A spring storm’s just blown over. The air smells of wet concrete and grass. The trees drip rhythmically into little puddles. And high above you a vivid arc of color crosses the grey sky. Sharp or faint, single or double, complete or only half there, the simple rainbow never fails to take my breath away.
 

·         I once knew a man who lived and worked far in the northern part of the world. He said that up there the Northern Lights were vivid and beautiful. He said he could even hear them crackling. They’re rarer to see farther south, but when you do see them, their beauty and wonder are mesmerizing.

 
·       And what better weather forecaster than the great expanse? Those of us who live in an area with more than one type of weather quickly learn to recognize a calm sky, a rainstorm on the way, a snow sky or even (gulp!) a tornado sky!

 
·         Flash! KaBoom! As terrifying as it is to some of us, still there’s something very exciting and adrenaline-inducing about the sight of a bolt of white hot lightening zig-zagging its way across a black, stormy sky!
 

·       I used to stand on the edge of the big field at my Grandfather’s field to watch the sunset. I never felt more alive than when I stood there, the cool evening air on my skin, the sweet smell of fresh hay on the air, the near silence, broken only by the occasional distant moo or chirp, and an inexplicable and breath-taking array of reds, oranges, and golds stretched across the sky to the horizon.
 

·       Few things are more unforgettable than the simple yet exquisite vision of a clear, starry night on a cloudless night in the country. We used to love to sit out in the yard on the farm and just stare at that fathomless star field and just … wonder.


·       How about wildlife? Some of my most unforgettable moments have been when I happened to glance up into the sky just in time to see a powerful hawk soar just feet above, or a “v” of geese honking and flapping their way to nesting and breeding grounds.

·        I just nicely finished the first draft of this story when I stepped outside and, still thinking about that great blue expanse, I looked up. And there it was. A ring of rainbow encircling the sun. Scientists call it a “halo”, and it only happens when the clouds happen to be sitting around the sun in just the right way. And it’s beautiful! (Just don’t admire it too much. It is surrounding the bright, sizzling sun, after all.)
 
Sadly, you’re likely to find some other, less welcome things there these days. All too often, when we look to the sky, we’re bound to see clouds of dirty smog, belching forth from factory smokestacks and vehicles, once beautiful views cut off by rows of skyscrapers, and enough light to drown out any star field. And, although we can’t see it, we know that hole in the ozone layer is up there somewhere, too. Even the sky above our field of view can’t escape, and the remains of hundreds of abandoned satellites and other space equipment permanently orbit our atmosphere.

The sky has been there for time eternal. When we were children, we wore out uncountable numbers of blue crayons committing the blue expanse to paper. As adults, we walk under it, dress for whatever it has to offer, and live with it daily. But how often do we take a moment to really consider how amazing it is? The sky truly is one of Mother Nature’s most amazing creations.

So, this April 14th, or any day of the year really, take just a moment to glance upward.
File:Sun Halo.jpg

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