Night & Day

Last night I was sleepless and prowling the house due to the influence of the nearly full moon. I stood outside on the balcony, listening to the frogs and breathing the damp night air. The cloud cover was heavy with not a glimpse of the night sky to be had. But the clouds were bright, lit from behind by the moon, which in turn was lit by the sequestered sun.

The word that came to my mind was "luminous."

I thought that again this morning as I watched the sun slowly burn off the fog and push aside the marine layer.

Luminous. Subtlety. Lit from within. A gentle glow.

There are people who've burst into my life. Sudden and illuminating beacons. Warm, dazzling sun. They seem to make everything shine and sparkle for a short while. They make you want to run and laugh and dance and sing loudly.

There are others who are more like the glow of that moon behind the clouds. They shed a gentle, constant light. A softness. They don't dispel the dark - they recognize the importance of shadow, that without some inscrutable dark, there's no appreciation of light. They make you want to sit still, soak in a moment for all that it is, smile at the color that is revealed in their light, and revel in the quiet.

This is what I've been thinking...

and I could sure use some sleep.