Blue Skies from Joel

This morning, I went for a run. Unlike usual, it felt great!
The crisp autumn air combined with the warmth of the sun on my face brought unescapable joy -even though life has me traveling through dark valleys. I find that it is so easy to get down when that is the direction I keep looking. But the key to climbing out of the dumps is looking in the direction you want to climb – up.
When I got home, I went to the backyard and crawled in my hammock perched underneath a vibrant red Japanese maple – and all I could see were blue skies. In Portland, I know the clouds are certainly coming. But learn a lesson from the trees – they never stop reaching for the light. We need to remember that just beyond the comparably thin layer of clouds, there are infinite blue skies. And like the trees, we need to keep reaching…even on the cloudy days.
So today, I encourage you to stop, look up, and take a deep breath.
There are blue skies.
And remember the lesson of the trees and never stop reaching