Sunshine and Shadows

So I'm sitting in my backyard feeling the lovely breeze on a warm day, and watching the shadows of the trees move about in the sunshine. There are sounds of crickets, which are soothing, random infusions of my dog barking at seemingly nothing, which can be annoying, and the sounds of traffic in the distance, which is neither here nor there in my feelings of contentment. As I write this, the sun moves behind a cloud, the playful shadows disappear, and the breeze picks up to ruffle the trees a bit more ominously. Minutes later, everything is back to where it was. Playful shadows, frolicking trees in the breeze, and pretty sunshine patterns. If I were to walk across the yard, I would at some points be enveloped in warm sunshine, and at some points be cloaked in shadows. If I walked slowly enough, the sunshine patterns would move locations, causing me to need to adjust my path to reach the illuminated areas. Regardless of where I walk or where I stand, there is always the possibility that I'll be annoyed by a mosquito or barking dog, no matter how serene the combination of breeze, temperature, & cricket chirping is at the time.

Today I found out that a business I work for is closing its doors at the end of the month. I'm sad because I love my job & who I work with. The combinations of shadows and light, crickets and dogs, breeze and winds got me thinking. Most days in life are much like this. You may begin a moment in calm, beautiful sunshine, but if you stay stubbornly in that one place too long, the shaded areas will inevitably envelope you. If you count completely on on the sounds of the crickets for calmness, you'll inevitably get annoyed by the random barking of a dog. If you only take refuge in the shaded areas of where you are, you'll always have to move locations to keep the shade surrounding you, and not the hot sun pouring down upon where you are. Point and case, life is about change, about metamorphosis, about movement. Resist or ignore it, and you'll end up frustrated. Move and adjust with the shadows of life, and you'll end up wherever it is you want to be.

The wind is picking up again, and causing the wind chimes to play their own symphony against the sounds of thunder in the distance. As sad as I am to lose the sunshine, I look forward to the cleansing benefits that a good storm can bring. Change, angst, annoyances, warmth, contentment, happiness .... all of them parts of daily life. Embrace it.

~ The Girl In The Little Black Dress