Day 148 – A Year of Gratitude and Joy – All That Green

We boarded the plane on a bright, sunny Arizona morning. The sky was already a brilliant blue. The forecast called for temps just above 100 ℉. Just under five hours later we landed on the East Coast. The sky was darkening as storm clouds rolled in. The temperature was hovering in the mid-70s with a hot, steamy level of humidity. It was exactly what we expected.

As we walked along the metro platform, I looked up at the dark, gray clouds and saw a flash of lightning. Then, without really intending to, I noticed the thick row of trees and shrubs. I turned and looked in the opposite direction. Across the platform, past the airport and all the way on the other side of the Potomac River I noticed a huge, thick swath of green. 

I’d forgotten how green the Mid-Atlantic is in the summer. We drove south to the Tidewater area past fields of young corn, protected by thick copses of trees.

As we cruised the backroads, we went in and out of shade where the plush foliage grew out over the roadway. 

When there were breaks in the trees, there were fairly narrow patches of grass leading to more thick walls of green.

I marveled at the variety of trees. Then I remembered how steamy it was outside the blissfully cool air conditioning in the rental car. I remembered those cool, green shady spots are home to dozens of buzzing, chirping, clicking, and biting insects. I am grateful for the beauty of all that green … but I am also filled with joy knowing I don’t have to apply bug spray to sit in my backyard.

The green, in the fall, becomes a spectacular palette of fall colors. In the spring, the beautiful pale green of new leaves brightens the view. In the winter, the bleak, leafless branches hold smatterings of snow and ice during storms. Every season, those green trees hold a special magic. I am grateful to be able to visit and see them in all seasons. 

There’s a whole world out there just waiting to be explored. Marvel at how different the world can be from where you are.

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