Head in The Clouds

For as long as I can remember, clouds have always been a kind of ethereal source of wonder for me, and there was a time when I could actually identify them by name. For centuries, they have always had a significant romantic, spiritual, and magical quality in themselves, aside from just gauging the weather. Appearing at times to be painted in varying shades, from subtle to glorious, they can create amazing illuminations of light and shadow, often in an instant as they travel across the sky. The clouds here are not as dramatic as some I have seen in interior locations such as the prairies where they can be heavy and scary while being absolutely captivating. They can also be utterly unpredictable and can ruin outdoor activities but we can’t really live without them.

There were a lot of storms where I lived as a child, often without warning, and the mountains there were veritable magnets for them. I remember being caught in Frankenstein-like bolts of lightning under huge cumulonimbus clouds while swimming at a beach near the mountains. The thunder was deafening and my father dragged me out of the water for safety’s sake. (Subsequently, it took me years to lose my fear of lightning.) In 2017 I witnessed a remarkable sight while flying up the eastern seaboard of the US late at night on my way back from Bogota, Colombia. I happened to see a storm cloud very high up in the atmosphere with lightning raging inside. Quite an amazing sight that I would have completely missed had I fallen asleep.

If there’s one thing in life that is certain it’s that clouds are a constant in our lives, they are always with us. And they are perpetually changing. They may hide on the clearest days but only to unexpectedly return in all their glory and they are ours to interpret into whatever we want. There’s a kind of comfort and solace in them, a familiarity. So in the meantime, you can find me looking skywards and keeping my head in the clouds.

‘Clouds appear when there is too much water vapor for the air to hold. The water vapor (gas) then condenses to form tiny water droplets (liquid), and it is the water that makes the cloud visible. These droplets are so small that they stay suspended in the air.‘

‘Be still, sad heart! And cease repining- Behind the clouds is the sun still shining- Thy fate is the common fate of all, Into each life, some rain must fall.’

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ‘The Rainy Day’.

Rows and flows of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons everywhere
I looked at clouds that way

But now they only block the sun
They rain and they snow on everyone
So many things I would have done
But clouds got in my way

I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down and still somehow
It’s cloud illusions I recall
I really don’t know clouds at all

Partial Lyrics from Both Sides Now by Joni Mitchell

“The clouds, the only birds that never sleep.“

Victor Hugo

“Brushing the clouds away from my eyes, I see clarity in the raindrop and beauty in the first ray of morning sun…
Life is strange and wondrous…”

 Virginia Alison

Photos and Essay #97 by Jude Gorgopa, Reinvention Consultant and the Founder of Clout Et Cetera and The Fundamentals of Clout. Connect: judegorgopa@gmail.com & LinkedIn.