time to ponder

when was the last time you laid out flat on the ground and looked up at the sky? it's fun to just squint your eyes shut into a tiny little line and watch the clouds scuttle by. occasionally a bird flies by giving you one of those "lady, are you crazy?" looks. or if you live near an airport like me, you might see a jet way up high, sun glinting off it's wings. i like to imagine where the passengers are headed. are they winging off for fun in sultry san antonio or visiting family in arid arizona? these are the thing i ponder as i lay on the ground.

if you're not shy and don't care about the looks you get, you might try laying underneath an expansive tree or a bed of spiky flowers. think about it -- when do we ever get to see the undersides of flowers? i'm quite entertained by the saucy dance moves the flowers make against their curtain of bright blue sky.  and there's no better way to honor the majesty of a giant tree than to lay at its feet in admiration, gazing up at the glorious reach of the branches. it's a perfect sanctuary for pondering.

i recall a tree-hugger i witnessed a few times in junior high. he was the younger brother of a class mate. i'm not sure how many different trees he liked to hug but i know he was quite fond of a big sycamore casting long shadows in the front of the elementary school.  kids can be quite cruel and he was for sure the butt of many mean-spirited jokes. i recall feeling so much empathy for both the classmate and his younger brother. who are we to judge how others choose to commune with nature. maybe that was his best pondering spot. maybe he heard and felt things most of us can't. maybe he was the lucky one to have befriended a tree.

who are we to judge? i think about this message sometimes when i'm quick to think someone is weird or just different and i try to be a little more empathetic. it gives all of us something to ponder, wouldn't you agree?