I drove into the sun this morning. First, the sky was yellow and it had a western facing rainbow (odd with no rain). As I drove I watched a glowing ball of super-energy rise from the horizon like Godzilla lifting out of the sea…all very dramatic. The sky colors turned into an intense red-orange canvas. Within five minutes the drama was over, the clouds evaporated away, and the horizon melded with the landscape in the foreground.. Amazing, isn’t it? Every morning, no matter where one is on this planet, the sun can be seen rising or setting. Okay, I’ll grant you that the sun moves horizontally at the extreme north and south polar regions, but who lives there anyway? Such a strange sight those horizontal sunsets.The thought occurred to me (yes, I really do have thoughts occasionally) that we live our lives in a vacuum so-to-speak. The air we breath is the same wherever you travel, except it may be purer in one local than another. The same holds true for water. Food is a bit more complicated as some types of vegetation can grow only in certain geographic regions so we don’t all enjoy the same cuisine, unless it is captured and brought to us or we visit where it is actually harvested. Shelter is another example of great variations; one can live in a hut on the Serengeti, in a tent on the sands of Arabia, in a brick house in New England or in a Chateau in France. Shelter is a necessary commodity for survival. So, in one simple, but profound way, we are all the same in that we need shelter, warmth in winter months, food and water. Safety and good health are wonderful things to have, as well, but not all are so fortunate.As the sun rises so it sets…each a unique print encased in God’s book, volume one, Sky Paintings. As the earth turns and the sunshine escapes for another night, our habits change due to darkness converging on us like a cloak thrown over our head. Artificial light tries to turn night into day, but it’s not the same. What is it about us humans that we are constantly trying to thwart the natural for the unnatural-all in the name of some sort of progress. What used to be accomplished only during the daytime is now an eighteen hour episode of busyness which accomplishes much-but who is to say how much is beneficial. So, as I began the day looking into the sun and planning what I must accomplish, I now view the end of the day from a different perspective…was it all worth it? Am I better off now than I was a dozen hours ago or am I simply spinning my mental, physical and emotional wheels-going nowhere? Or, perhaps I am whistling a tune of joy for having the privilege of experiencing another day. I want this to be the case.A rear view mirror offers a completely different perspective while traveling forward; we can see where we have come from. And we can sense if the trip was worth the fare. Let’s hope so, but if the feeling is that we somehow got ripped off, then it’s time to re-evaluate…and rest a while before we drive into the sun another day. To be still is as important as all the other commonalities that keep us alive…perhaps even more so.