through the mist and into the morning

Have you ever been inside a cloud? It’s like being surrounded by something you can see but cannot touch, hanging heavy and light all at once. To walk through the mist of the mountains in these early fall mornings is the same. The fingers of damp wrap pleasantly around you, like being nestled inside a blanket, and add an ethereal quality to everything – softening edges, smoothing jagged lines and creating the aura of being blissfully separated from the world because you can only see two feet in any direction. Wouldn’t it be lovely to go through life, some days, snugly wrapped in the solitude of the clouds, only having to deal with what’s right in front of you instead of having to worry about all the things you cannot see? That’s part of what I love about the mountain mornings. I can disconnect from all that troubles me and instead focus on only those things that immediately require decisions – left on the path or right? Up the mountain or through it? Do I want to bring trail mix or almonds in my backpack? But then the mist clears and the sun breaks through, shining bright and true. And I am reminded why clear days, days when I can see in front of me for miles, are more important than the shelter of the mist.