What’s hiding in the fog?
And what’s on the other side?
Hello friend,
The sun rises later now, and as the light began to pull away the shadows, I waited for the sun to introduce the new day. I made my tea settling down to read and watch for the cardinals and red finches outside my window.
Then I gasped. What happened to the dawning of a bright day? Suddenly. a heavy spring fog had shrouded the view. The trees took on mysterious shadows and everything beyond our house disappeared.
The poetic words of Carl Sandburg explained what happened.
The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.
In my case the fog crept in unexpectedly looking over the lawn, through the trees, painting a magical, mystic sunrise. I coldn’t stop thinking about fog for the rest of the day and how we use the term to describe the uncertainty and fragility of life.
“I don’t have the foggiest idea where I put my keys.”
“We’re living in a fog, unable to see what’s ahead.”
“I just can’t concentrate. My brain’s in a fog.”
Of course, fog doesn’t follow us around all day, but it can certainly feel like it. Those foggy days when you don’t feel bad, but you can’t muster the energy to tackle whatever daily chores sit glaring at you. Our future sometimes appears shrouded in fog, uncertainty, fear, despair, a blur in the distance.
Then there is the last line of the poem, “and then moves on.” The sun slowly breaks through the mist.
Even on those days when I feel the tug of fog, I remember:
Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.
—Archbishop Desmond Tutu
And what did I see when the fog lifted that day? The hope of spring, the hope of a day full of joy—I chose to follow it.
Behind the fog, I trust in how nature always astounds me.
If like me, it’s been a while since your elementary school lesson on fog, here some help on where fog comes from.
A few foggy songs: Fog on the Mountain, The Morning Fog, and Lost in a Fog.
“Fog is nature’s way of reminding us that life isn’t always clear and predictable.”
— Alice Hoffman
“In the silence of fog, there is clarity hidden beneath the obscurity.”
—John O’Donohue
“Like a thick fog, uncertainty covers the future, but beyond it, the sun still shines.”
—Henry Ward Beecher
If you would like to read more from me, visit my website. I’ll be waiting for you there.
With gratitude,
Kathryn
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I look forward to your weekly writings. So happy Judy shared them with me when we visited her in February. Your words truly paint beautiful pictures.