About a decade ago, when I used to travel for work three times a month, it dawned on me that every time I would go up in an airplane, we would right through the clouds and rough air. Suddenly, the entire sky would be filled with sunshine, no matter what the weather was like down below. That's when I realized that "it's always sunny...above the cloud cover."
I live in Ohio USA. I had always thought that I would live in Oregon or Washington because I love the rain so much. As it turns out, Ohio has a lot of rain too. The humidity keeps the clouds low and full, the earth lush and green. And because there are deciduous trees about, the climate helps their leaves turn a bright orange, red, brown, and yellow. Falls are exquisite. During the winter, the humidity brings snow, but the snow stays. On dreary days, I crave sunline. I truly have been affected by the gray skies.
In my many readings of Buddhist teachings over the years, I have learned to think of emotions very kin to weather. Just as I wait for weather patterns to pass through, I find that my emotional weather can also pass through. If I wait long enough, the storm will pass, and I, like the sky, will become calm again.
What I'm realizing is that like the sky, my being is always sunny above the cloud cover. It's a reminder that I can go within and find the sunshine. I can rise above the thick clouds full of moisture and find the joy in ever experience.
I've always had the intention of starting a blog called "Above the Cloud Cover" where I would focus on that sunshine, whether it was found in my external reality or inner landscape. I am especially pleased to begin it now, after many years of waiting, because I think the time is right. We all need a little more sunshine in our lives these days. It is my intention to help you get into the proverbial airplane and head on up.
