I set off on my journey, aware that the weather was getting ever colder. The light was dimming as the sun dipped behind the horizon, but I went on. Cold wind bit at my finger tips and nibbled at my toes. The freezing air made conditions miserable, and the headwind didn't help much. My mission, was to blow off some steam that had been building up inside me, and today was the perfect day for it. All around me, the signs of winter were slowing showing themselves. Ice where there had once been a marsh, frozen plants and of course, the cold, dim weather.
The sun set fire to the evening sky, a burning ball of brilliant color. It's glowing light spread like wildfire from cloud to cloud, extending across the once dull sky. As the fire burned longer and longer, the colors deepened. Soon the glowing red embers could be seen around the edges of this heavenly blaze. A pink glow expanded to the outermost region of the fire, the clouds were heating up, preparing themselves to blaze in color. The globe of light that had ignited this dazzling fire was beginning to slip below the horizon, hiding behind trees and hills. My eyes were dazzled by the beauty of this natural phenomenon. Wispy clouds spread in all directions, tinted by the glare of the brilliant blaze. They moved in the high winds, constantly being molded by their creator in his masterpiece. The colors began to meld together, the reds and pinks and oranges all becoming a deep shade of red, slowing cooling into purple. Stars began to dot the sky, pricking holes of light through the deep blue sheet. Thin clouds breezed overhead, allowing the stars to begin their nightly dance, ever changing, but always twinkling. The stars performed thier ballet for me alone, slowing spinning overhead, but intricately moving in and out all the time. They celebrated the victory over the fire, thier sky had survied another close call, but did not remain unscorched, the western horizon still had a glow about it, and would for a long time. The pink and purple glow gave me just enough light to see the road as I spun along, thinking about the One who created this ever changing masterpiece that we could experience daily if we would only take the time to slow down and watch. My mind began to wander from the pain, to things of more joy. I was reminded of what a lucky guy I am, how blessed I am and how lucky I was to have legs to let me do crazy things like that. And then I thought about my friends, one special one in particular, I thought of her as the light danced away from me. She puts light into my days, and I began to miss her. Then I thought of family, and experiences and opportunities taken and missed. I realized that we need to live every day as if it were our last. We need to slow down and focus on what is really important. I carefully watched as the day faded into night, waiting for something, a sign maybe. I smiled, and thanked God that I could live such a blessed life. I'm glad I slowed down to take in my surroundings, realizing that God created this world for us to enjoy as I watched a white tailed deer scamper off into the woods, searching for a place to sleep...
