Home is located on Cloud Eight.
You will not be the least bit surprised to know that my lifelong residence on Cloud Eight is situated as close as possible to the proverbial Cloud Nine, where all is perfection and the joys of every ideal are quite simply the norm. You may not even be shocked to hear that I have no need, intention or desire to relocate permanently to Cloud Nine. Frankly, I’m afraid that living there full time would blow my gaskets. Too much ecstasy, constant adrenaline and a permanent state of bliss sound dangerously close to hysteria and collapse. Further, I fear that such excess would find some way to become dull, lacking the contrast of subtler and more refined things.
I have no desire for pain and suffering, mind you; I am very well adapted to my happy and near-perfect life, and I am far too un-evolved to handle the demands of a trying existence. I am quite content to be, well, contented. And on Cloud Eight, there are just enough unforeseen twists of the road, moments of sorrow or fear or illness or what-have-you that, when they have passed, become salt: a seasoning valued so highly because in addition to its own flavors it highlights and enhances the other flavors around it. The piquancy and clarity and intensity of joy is only fully possible, I suspect, if one knows a hint of contrast. Maybe that’s just another iteration of my love of black and white imagery.
In the meantime, as I say, goodness and happiness have their own complications, not least of all a jaded or surfeited attitude brought on by over-indulgence. I find pessimism and paranoia dreary and tiresome companions, but a little part of me needs to stand at attention and be alert to their opposites so that I don’t drift along, bleary, blind to the beauty and inspirations all around me. If I fail to see the marvels in my own (albeit somewhat raggedy) garden, the humor in a child’s uninhibited playfulness, the drama and magisterial artistry in a lightning-streaked sky–why, then, there’s no point in lounging around on the everyday cloud most proximal to the place of perfection, let alone taking the occasional jaunt over ‘next door’ for that welcome hit of delirium, is there!
With that in mind, I make it a point to revisit my own environs with a different point of view or a revitalized attitude whenever I can, lest I lose sight of the wonders all around. If I should lack for a blog post idea for a moment, what’s to blame but my own failure to adjust the lens, to improve my focus. To see and revel in what’s right in front of me. I should take every opportunity to pause and refresh my senses, and then I can’t imagine that there won’t always be a new idea, a dazzling insight or maybe just a friendly reminder of how great the seeming old-familiar can be if I let it.
If I tire of the view, I ought to change my perspective . . .
Art-Colored Glasses 
this is sooo poetic! awesome
Thank you, and welcome, Gabriel! (A name I like very much, and my nephew’s middle name, by the way.) 🙂
I’ve started to have a look around your blog and am impressed with your use of digital tools, something I am just barely beginning to learn. Well done!
Spoken like someone with a wealth of wisdom. Finding beauty in the everyday moments…yes. I have to type notes on my phone when I make one of these observations, or my brain is in danger of harping on it until I have time to fire up the WordPress. Just want to be in the moment and enjoy it. Nice post.
Mel
massachusetts-is-wicked-awesome.com
Dear Mel, my wisdom consists in knowing a whole slew of brilliant people from whom I can learn and to whom I can turn in my almost-constant moments of ignorance! But I thank you for the encouragement all the same. My “cell phone” (put in quotes because it’s as far from a Smart Phone as humans can get from Smart) is too troublesome, so I’m seriously old-school, hauling around innumerable notebooks, pens and pencils in every pocket or briefcase or crate. But it beats depending on my increasingly cobwebbed brain *remembering* inspiration when it shows up! 🙂
Cloud eight sounds just right for me maybe I should buy a plane ticket does anyone fly there?! On the other hand maybe I should do as you do and look at my surroundings through a different viewfinder. The images are lovely you are very talented.
Thank you, dear lady! I’m not sure any airline experience nowadays would put me in the frame of mind necessary for getting to Cloud Nine; maybe we just have to suddenly Be there. 🙂 Keep me posted if you find any bargain flights, though!
I don’t know, although cloud 8 would be a lot more comfortable to me, Cloud 9 sounds pretty good. I guess I will have to give it some serious though. I am frankly fairly tired of Cloud 2 where I seem to spend way too much time.
I can vouch for ol’ #9, but I’ve visited even the negative numbered clouds–thankfully, briefly at most–so I say, if Cloud 2 is too much (ahem!) Number Two, I invite you most cordially to vacate it and pop on up to my vicinity any time. Gotta say, it’s much pleasanter at the higher altitude. 😉
Great advice, to sometimes change our perspective. What a difference a little shift will make!
I used to tell my students that sometimes even physically attempting a ridiculous point of view (like putting their current projects up on the wall and then standing on their heads) could be very useful, and I wasn’t joking. The mere act of physically forcing myself to look at the familiar from an unprecedented angle (though at this point in my life, a headstand could prove closer to fatal than merely embarrassing) is invaluable in forcing myself to change my mental and philosophical points of view too.
I loved this one, Kathryn… it has been the purpose of my writing to focus on finding the beautiful in the every day. When the odd day goes by without “magic” it feels like such a loss. Mind you.. I’m pretty easy to please… cloud 8 or 9 most days:) Now if those pesky people on Cloud 1 or Cloud 0 would quite trying to suck the life out of my cloud!!!!
Let’s just play the grim-grouches a nice off-putting round or two, extra-loud, of the Rolling Stones’ ‘Get off of My Cloud’!!!
I’m glad you enjoyed the post, dearest! 🙂 I hope you know that you bring much beauty to my days, too, because of your focus on the joyful in life. Many thanks for that.
what a quote!- “Home is on cloud eight” !
It’s lovely here–come and join me!! 🙂
I’m quoting this in one of my posts… Any issues with copyright? Will link you there 🙂
My dear, I’d be delighted to be linked up with you! Thanks for asking. 🙂
Hey, come on down to SEVEN, the weather is Fine!!!, we can play snakes and ladders and whizz past NINE to have a look! c
Any time, my dearest, any time! I’m quite happy traveling cloud to cloud, testing the pace of life and the ‘latitude of the attitude’ in every clime. Sometimes it’s even nice to have a mildly morose day just to clear out the cobwebs . . . but I sure do like living in the midst of happiness for the better part of it all!
Oh and Bliss could not be BLISS unless it was and is a fleeting thing, just washing over us in the moment.. love love.. have a lovely Week Of Giving Thanks.. c
That is definitely the plan! Same to you, my lovely! I am certainly very thankful to have gotten to know you!!
Whenever you see a storm coming, remember that you can always rest on your cloud and get above it all. Great post.
Come right on up to this cloud and join in anytime, Mr Davis! I guess I can say I’ve taken your advice well to heart, given that we had our first good thunderstorm in quite a while last night and I was thrilled to pieces for the good watering. Let’s hear it for Cloud Eight!
Home is located on cloud 8!
I love it 🙂 I think I need to change my prespective to get to where you are
Well, you will be a *very* welcome neighbor when you move in next door to me here on this cloud! (Or you could just buy the house that’s for sale next door to us here on earth, though I think it might make a pretty hard commute to your work!)
Warmest regards *wherever* you are!
Kathryn
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