Once again, how looking up can lift us up

It had been a gray morning--sky wrapped in in its typical for Seattle gray-toned, February shroud. After six or seven errands in North Seattle, I was finally ready to head back home. On a whim, I stopped at my favorite Seattle iconic fast-food hamburger joint, Dick's Drive-in, to get one of my favorite foods, the strawberry milkshake (made with REAL milk and ice cream). After all, it was lunchtime.

As I sat in the car, sucking the deliciously thick drink through a biodegradable straw, I realized the sky now was partly sunny with a lot of blue sky appearing. The huge pine tree that was growing on the other side of the fence where I was parked loomed with such gorgeous contrast, I was compelled to take this photo.

An ordinary day made special by sitting still and looking up. Sometimes it takes a strawberry milkshake, or something comparable, to slow us down and realize beauty so often overlooked.