Right Above My Head

(Picture courtesy of a friend of Chabakuk Elisha)

They have always been there my entire life. I have looked up the sky at them. I have looked out the window of a plane at them. In school, I even learned about the different types and the details of how they make rain. I learned how they could be classified as Cumulus, Cumulonimbus, Stratus, Stratocumulus, Altocumulus, Altostratus, Nimbostratus, Cirrus, Cirrocumulus, or Cirrostratus.

But despite this knowledge, it has taken me almost 34 years to fully appreciate clouds. In retrospect, I realize that the cold and analytical outlook taught to me in science class robbed me of the ability to appreciate their simple beauty. I agree with Henry David Thoreau, who wrote, "What sort of science is that which enriches the understanding, but robs the imagination?"

Perhaps I can credit my friend Mottel for reawakening me to the beauty of clouds by taking stunning pictures of the sky. Along with Space Cadet, I now stare upwards each day in awe; entranced by their form and beauty.