Under the Sky

It's curious and amazing to me how the state of the sky can affect the state of our minds. It's as if we mirror the canopy of air overheard. Days where it's cloudy I find myself looking inward, more contemplative--holding on to thoughts longer than usual the way the atmosphere remains tucked in under the clouds with nowhere to go. And under the clear sun I am clear minded, I feel more open and lighthearted, like nothing can bring me down. I love the sharpness of autumn, my favorite kind of sky. And the eerie whimsy of snowfall--think how it quiets the mind, how it seems to make you feel new and like anything can happen. Even day and night has an affect on our mood--always more of a sense of searching at night, a sense of being able to get away with more. I have more energy in the summer and I always wonder what it would be like to live somewhere that was hot and dry all the time. I feel like people in desert climates are angrier. And there's a reason why the Northwest, with its rainy, brooding skies, has a higher rate of depression and suicide. Do people who live in the mountains always have a sense of foreboding? Perhaps the culture of different areas of the country is formed by the type of sky that is most prevalent there. I'll take the Midwest--a balance of seasons to season my mind. I want to know every kind.