As a child I used to lie flat on my back in the prickly plush grass to watch clouds go by. Everything else around me went away; it was as though I was suspended in air – just me and the blue and white expanse. I got to understand how slowly clouds drift as I watched them float from one end of my vision to the other. I saw the clouds form characters and creatures and sometimes transform themselves into something else as they went along. A horse would gallop across the sky; a lady would dance, a dog would turn into an automobile and cat’s paw would bat a butterfly.

These were the good old days. I look back and wonder how I had the time to spend hours doing something so seemingly inconsequential. But of course it was summer and school was out and time was never ending then. As an adult I would hesitate to lie in the grass because of my clothes or because of the ants and other grass dwellers that might consider me a mountain to climb. And then again, I’m much too busy now to wile away my time on something where I will have nothing to show for it.

There’s a popular saying; “Take time to smell the roses.” Yes, yes, I always nod my head when I hear that. It means slow down and notice what is around you and really live each day instead of checking it off on a calendar. I nod my agreement but when do I practice what my nod preaches? Is it really so inconsequential to spend a few hours watching the clouds float by? Hey, it’s summer. School’s out. Care to join me?