This has been a very unpleasant week, non? Very cold. Very long. Very shitty things going on. So I thought I would share something kinda cool with you today. Joyful, even.
I had a dentist appointment on Tuesday morning. It was about -12 degrees F as I was pulling out of my driveway, and I could see sparkling, glittery “particles” in the air (it was super fine snow, as it turned out). But the sun was shining brightly, and I noticed . . . a sun dog. I think sun dogs are super cool, and I just love finding them in the sky. Usually, though, there are trees or buildings obstructing my view and I only see a partial view. Last Tuesday, as I drove closer to my dentist’s office, the trees opened up and I got the glorious full view! So I quick pulled into a parking lot along the the way and snapped a photo or two.
Isn’t it magnificent?
And, y’know. I wouldn’t have seen it if I hadn’t been in exactly the right spot at the exactly right time with those absolutely ghastly weather conditions. Lucky? Sure. But I was also open to seeing it! And then I wanted to share it . . . so I stopped and parked and got out of my warm car to “collect” this piece of joy. No one else in the parking lot (and it’s a busy parking lot, with a lot of traffic thanks to a popular breakfast cafe and coffee shop) seemed to notice this magical thing in the sky, or seemed the least bit curious about why the nutty lady was taking a photo in the parking lot. (Sigh.)
When I got to my dentist’s office, I noticed that I could still see part of the sun dog from the parking lot – and from the windows inside. I told the desk staff and my dental hygienist and even my dentist about it — and I encouraged them to just look out the window so they could see it, too. You know what happened? They nodded at me politely and didn’t even glance at the window. (Sigh.)
Here’s my takeaway: Keep your eyes open. Take the time to really look. Magical things happen all around us . . . if we have eyes to see them.
Hang in there, my friends.
Look for those little piece of joy. (Because they’re everywhere.)
“In the bigger scheme of things the universe is not asking us to do something, the universe is asking us to be something. And that’s a whole different thing.”
— Lucille Clifton
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I am collecting random photos of “pieces of joy” I encounter these days. . . and I’m keeping them in my Field Notes. Take a peek if you need a bit of joy in your day. (And if you do, you may wonder about the photo of an overflowing bowl of giant lemons. That’s from Erin. It’s her harvest of lemons from her patio lemon tree! A whole bunch of lemons in January bring me much joy . . . even if they aren’t mine. )
Well, you have taught me something, and not for the first time. I have never heard of a sun dog, Kym. It is beautiful, and thank you for sharing. Hanging in there, as instructed. 🙂
That is beautiful! Thank you! Did you use your phone camera? Never heard of a sundog before – why “dog”? I occasionally stop what I’m doing and take a picture of something striking. More since I got an iPad mini which I carry everywhere, but this takes the cake. Was it really Minus 12 degrees or was that just humorous hyperbole? I would probably not question Plus 12 degrees since I grew up on Lake Erie:).
oh thank you for the image and the words. also it’s been below freezing here for a while, but not below zero. my southern brain has a hard time with -12!
Just saw minus 11 in Minnesota on a TV weather map so I have my answer, Kym! I remember minus 5 or so in my childhood but never minus 12!
I wish I could see a sun dog in person but a photo of one is almost as good. My aunt in FL seems to see them a couple of times a year. I’m wondering why traffic wasn’t stopped all over the place for people to take photos, and your dentist and hygienist seem a bit uncurious, but to each their own. Thanks for noticing and sharing!
Thanks for sharing that piece of beauty with us. We need all the joy, love, and courage we can get.
Wow! New to me as well. Thank-you Kym. 🙂
Gorgeous! That truly was a great reward for going out in that bitter cold.
I know what a sun dog is but I’ve never seen a full one! Thank you for sharing this gloriousness with us. And good on you for at least trying to get the people at the dentist’s office to acknowledge it, too.
You know…it is so true about moments of joy! I typically walk in the mornings and some days it is just about getting it done and other days I can feel that I am much more open to the world and what is in front of me and it is glorious!
Great picture! I’m another who was not aware of Sun Dogs. Curious about the name for sure. Our dentist would have looked! Erin’s lemons are magnificent!!! I hope she makes something special with at least a few of them.
What a new concept for me! Love it of course.
I love it when I see a sun-dog so thank you for sharing this one. This has been a hard week, at times very surreal. Keeping my eyes and heart open to joy is a very good idea. Thanks for the reminder.