Gazing UP at Yoda

The other day, I was scanning through my Twitter account when I came across a photo that @StarWars was retweeting.  It was a photograph of a cloud that resembled Yoda, the 800-year-old Jedi Master in the Star Wars films.  It was cute enough that I passed it along to my followers, and my wife later told me that she enjoyed seeing it.  Apparently, the photo really inspired her, for as we were driving today, she noticed another cloud that looked rather Yoda-like. 

"Has Yoda just activated his lightsaber?"

One of my favorite PIXAR movies is “UP.”  In the montage that summarizes Carl and Ellie’s life, we see the couple relaxing on the grass and pointing out those clouds that, to them, resemble animals and faraway places.  Like much of the montage, the scene underlines the yearning to explore that united them in childhood.  While real-life events prevent them from pursuing their dreams, nothing can stop them from visiting these faraway places via their imaginations.

"Gaze up at the sky more, you should."
(Pause to clear throat loudly).

So often I look to movies, TV, books, and the Internet for inspiration.  Carl and Ellie’s example, and these photographs, remind me that my imagination can also be fed by other means.  Every once in awhile, maybe I should make time in my schedule to just lay back on the grass and gaze up at the sky.  I might risk a few bites from ants and other crawling insects, but that seems a small price to pay, when compared with all that I might gain from the experience.

On second thought, perhaps I should bring along a folding chaise lounge.  (And, until it cools off, a glass of ice tea).

Gazing UP,

Dragon Dave