The skies above

Skylines are beautiful. Some cities are famous for them. But it seems that when we talk about skylines, when we admire them, we admire the second part of the word, not the first. We admire the buildings outlined in the sky, the sky itself nothing but background to the glorious achievements of human ingenuity and aesthetics.

When we lived in the city, we loved watching the sun rise and set over the neighbourhood. The way it coloured the sky pink at sunrise and gold at sunset was magnificent, turning some pretty plain architecture into a sight of beauty. Over the years, however, and the more often we came to the country, we started getting the feeling that something wasn’t quite right with the city skyline. There was too little sky in it. So, one reason we moved was getting more sky. With good reason.

A random, gorgeously cloudy, October sunrise in the city would be beautiful but there would be buildings in the way. Here, there is nothing in the way and you can feel the vastness of the sky in its entirety. What’s an “Aw, so beautiful!” in the city is a cleansing, humbling experience that doesn’t need words in the country.

A random dawn in February is the real fire-in-the-sky deal, panoramic view included. Our water supply may be easily compromised and we consistently get less electricity from the grid than we’re supposed to, but we have the fire in the sky and it’s worth the petty troubles of everyday life.

The sky is a work of art and while the identity of the artist is a matter of personal belief, a work of art it is. All we humans can do is try to replicate that art to the best of our abilities. The sky is inspiration.

Even without the magnificent pattern of clouds, the sky delights and humbles. Thanks to the sun. The great paintbrush in the sky moves and with it, the colours change. A sunrise or a sunset is never plain and boring, not in the open sky. In fact, the only boring kind of sky is a July noon but there are people who admire those, too, so really, there is no boring kind of sky.

A sight of beauty, an inspiration, a work of art — and sometimes, when the weather’s right, the sky is a gift. The gift of reminding us that we are alive and that’s wonderful because we can enjoy sights like these and share them with others.