I have been reading a book by Kent Nerburn
"Small Graces" and I have truly been moved by many of the stories he has told such as "The Gift of Clouds" on page 39. It is three pages long and beautifully written but I will try to share the point of the story. He says that he was once a cab driver and often picked up a blind woman from a University. They became friends and so one day he asked her if she could see just one thing for just a few minutes what would it be? Her answer was......clouds. I will quote this one section:
"Why Clouds? I asked.
Because I can't imagine them, she said. People have tried to explain them to me. They tell me that they are like cotton. They tell me they look like how fog feels. They spray whipped cream in my hand. They move my fingers over paintings of skies and let feel the shapes of clouds painted on canvas. But I am still no closer to an understanding. Yes, it would be clouds.
I look out the window of the cab. The clouds were moving, stately and triumphant, in majestic procession across the sky."
So here is the challenge....how would you describe a cloud to a person who has never seen one?
I won't give away his answer to her but what would your answer be?
"Why Clouds? I asked.
Because I can't imagine them, she said. People have tried to explain them to me. They tell me that they are like cotton. They tell me they look like how fog feels. They spray whipped cream in my hand. They move my fingers over paintings of skies and let feel the shapes of clouds painted on canvas. But I am still no closer to an understanding. Yes, it would be clouds.
I look out the window of the cab. The clouds were moving, stately and triumphant, in majestic procession across the sky."
So here is the challenge....how would you describe a cloud to a person who has never seen one?
I won't give away his answer to her but what would your answer be?
Something to ponder
5 comments:
White soft cotton candy.
An impossible task because clouds are substances that capture our imaginations. I see specific shapes in clouds that others do not.
That is extremely hard since I often use colors to describe something but colors would not mean anything to her. Since I have never touched a cloud I wonder if there is an object to compare it with and yes I am muddling along as I write. I would have to say they float like a balloon but are often in many shapes and their color predicts the weather so no I do not believe I could successfully describe a cloud to someone who had never seen one. I do often think the clouds are the dust from God's and the Angel's feet as they pass by. Peace
Perhaps a bag of the fiberfill I use for pillows and stuffing? It is hard to imagine a life without sight....or sound. To have all five senses is to be blessed and not to be taken for granted. Even the sense of SMELL is important! How often does a SMELL cause us to remember? I sat out in the front yard tonight for a few minutes (allowing my dog, Lucy, to take care of 'nature') and inhaled the delicious scent of fresh mowed grass! What blessings we have!!
SUCH a good post!! I will look for that book.....
I don't think I could do any better than what was said already. It will be interesting to hear the cab driver's response.
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