The Necessity of a Violet Sky

I took a blue blaze trail that connected to the Appalachian Trail. A posted sign at the juncture announced a blue blaze trail was rare.  I understand why; a marked blue blaze trail is hard to see.  The Appalachian Trail on the other hand is marked with wide strokes of white paint on the trees along the path for easy recognition. This gives confidence to wayfarers as they progress along their course.  Preacher’s Rock was my destination, but I never found the way.  After three hours on a trail that was vague to discern where it led, I concluded  that ANY rock I could see beyond the thick forest would be an answered prayer, so then take on the name preachers.

    Afterwards I stopped at an IHOP near the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I was sitting in my booth waiting for my server and noticed across from me a young five year old girl drawing with a focused abandon to their surroundings children muster when they are deep within their world.  I watched, amused with her concentrated obsession in laying down her rainbow of crayons. She suddenly stopped, sensing someone was watching.  She looked up, then raised to kneeling while flashing me her beaming smile; along with holding up her drawing for my inspection saying,

  "It’s necessary to have a violet sky"

  I was taken by the poetry of a young child making such a statement; I had to inquire,

   "Why is that sweetie?"

  At first, I wasn't sure she heard me because she instantly sat back down and appeared to be repossessed by her endeavor.  Yet while placing her drawing back onto the table to continue her masterpiece, she spoke without looking up;  in that child's  matter-of-fact-everyone-knows-this…but if you must ask I guess I am obliged to instruct you, poor dear’ kind of roll play.  Confident in what she was saying as ultimate truth; 

   "so you can see the white unicorns"  

Samantha, my server, overheard our conversation, and we exchanged smiles.

   "What do you think makes us happy?"  I asked her. 

She said, "Well I'm happy."  "I have my step-son, my man, my home" 

I replied, "Ah, but is that purpose fulfillment? Isn't that just the current situation?"  She instantly replied, "From where I've been, that's a real leap"

   It struck me then, how simple our happiness can be. Sometimes we have to endure conditions so far away from our desires, just so we'd know our joy when it came into focus.  It doesn't have to be complex or earth shattering goals of greatness or improving the welfare of mankind before we are fulfilled.  For Samantha, it was the simplicity of those affections that had eluded her during her suffering years; now they were present and in abundance; those were the foundation of her happiness and she had no need to question it; she was there.

   We can appreciate those blue skies, after a spell of cloudy, rainy weather.  Yet I’ve seen in summers past a parade of clear blue days lulling me to neglect; under the guise of a common occurrence; devoid of fanfare.  We can get really involved in our own mental chatter; to the exclusion of even wondering.  I have discovered, perhaps with unfettered enthusiasm of heart's passion, we make it possible to see unicorns. That's how necessary the beauty of a violet sky can be.