Light

As I drove along the lakefront this morning, I was blinded by the beacon that was the sun. It was blazing a path clear across the water that came to an abrupt halt at the jagged ice flows and just before the barren, almost deserted beach. A lone photographer was standing at his tripod attempting to capture the breathtaking image, but there was no doubt in my mind that something would be lost in seeing this glory second hand. I felt incredibly lucky and light to be viewing this spectacular sunrise with my own two eyes knowing all too well that something is always lost in the translation...believing that some things cannot be frozen on film or captured on paper. I looked up to see that there was a distinct, straight line bifurcating the sky that cut clear across the horizon. One side: faded blue like worn in, stonewashed denim, and the other: downy pillows of pure white fluff. Wow I said aloud and to myself.

The respect in my voice brought me back to the awe I felt in hearing Dani Shapiro's yesterday as I read her memoir. I picked up the book, said Wow outloud at least three times in the first forty pages, and couldn't put it down for long. Her story is some powerful stuff that resonated rawly with me. In an almost eerie way, I felt like she was reading my mind and sharing some of my own deeply personal spiritual struggles. I felt understood, validated, free and weightless. I feel light even as my mind is swirling with some heavy thoughts and feelings today.