Clouds.

How many of us ever stop to watch clouds? I feel like cloud-watching was a popular hobby of our grandparents and great grandparents' generations, back before they ever had screens of any kind to look at. Back then, the sky was their Google image search, rivers and creeks were their wallpaper, and the sound of waves rustling through pine trees was their iPod or Pandora.

Here's me on a river trip.

We live in a world with so much noise. One of my soul mate workouts is Yoga, and one of the reasons I love it so much is because it is silent. I don't think most of us take the time to recognize silence, to practice it, or to listen to it enough. Silence and solitude have always been important to me, and I have disliked the "background noise" of a running computer, tv, or music for as long as I can remember. They make me feel anxious and claustrophobic. I'd much rather be alone with a pen and a journal or a book. My cabin and the Colorado River are two of my favorite places on Earth, and part of the reason for loving them is because they are silent places. "River Therapy" as experienced guides and rafters lovingly call it, is a time when there's nothing but you, your thoughts, and the water.

Bliss.

I admire clouds because they get this kind of introspective solitude all the time. They just sit up there, observing the fast-paced world go by. They move too, but at a much slower rate than all of us do. They see the world with a bigger picture and they depend on only the wind to move them and the sun to warm them. I'd love to be a cloud for just one day.