Today's Picture to Ponder Photos
Views of an August Sunset in my Boynton Beach, Florida neighborhood - No description necessary

I invite you to allow your words and being fill the spaces the views may open up for you.

Today's Self-Reflecting Queries
I am moved for this issue to start with the queries, then follow with the story that led into them.

Today I am inviting you to:

1 - look into your life at areas where you "know" the answers and may not be very open to anything more than what you "already know."

2 - check also to see if there are areas where you are looking through small "windows," then assuming the rest of the picture is more of the same.

3 - consider - When you find that you have made a mistake, do you spend most of the time, soon after, berating yourself for what you missed, and continue dwelling on the missing? Or, do you quickly lift yourself out of that state and find the pluses and, possibly, miracles in what is?

"How did these questions evolve from today's photos?" you might be wondering.

Late in the afternoon the other day, our South Florida sky was clear and the clouds were magnificent, light and fluffy. I was certain there was going to be a spectacular sunset. I thought when the time came I'd go to Green Cay Wetlands, five minutes from my home. The broad expanse of sky and different sections of water have provided me, and you in Picture to Ponder, many wonderful sunset views and reflections.

I got involved in other things, forgetting my plans until about 45 minutes before the sun was due to set. At that point, I glanced out my kitchen window with its western exposure. The sky didn't look very promising. Given I have very high trees and palms in front of a high wall, there is not a very broad view, but what I saw looked overcast with grey, dense clouds. I needed to eat and decided that it was not worth the time and gas to drive over to the Wetlands.

About 15 to 20 minutes before the sun was scheduled to set, as confirmed by information online, I decided to simply walk, with my camera, around my neighborhood. Once outside, and beyond the limits of my house, I saw I had been mistaken.

The sky was beautiful with varied clouds and colors. I proceeded to spend a few minutes debating with myself, "Should I pull the car out of the garage and go to Green Cay for ten minutes?" and more "should I's", "shouldn't I's."

I finally decided to stay where I was, forget what I might have missed and "play" with what I had. In addition to the colors and shapes in the sky, I observed that I had far more trees and rooflines available to frame them than I would have had at Green Cay. I began to have fun doing exactly that with my camera.

Then at the very end of the available light, I was treated to the spectacular view of the expanding rays of the dark blues against the brilliance of the pinks and oranges of the clouds and sky. I was reminded of having been told that I would be having choices of several different paths on where I would be moving next in my life, all of them being good.

I wondered, "Would the perspective that we see in the sky in the third photo even have shown up at Green Cay?" It matters not. By being open, I had an amazing experience to cap the evening.

So, again, are there places in your life where you can widen the window out of which you are viewing your circumstances? Are you open to possibilities coming from "not knowing" in addition to those you think you "know?"

As always, have fun and play with these questions.