Red Sky in the Morning, Sailors Take Warning

The other morning, I was out walking. The air was comfortable, the humidity was not unbearable, and I was enjoying the quiet start to my day.

As the sun began to rise, I noticed a pink hue in the sky. Immediately, I remembered that old saying, “Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning.”

And just like that, my thoughts changed.

A storm must be coming.

I shortened my walk and spent the rest of the day anticipating rain, wind, and whatever else might be headed our way.

But the storm never came.

We had a little drizzle - just enough to water the plants and the lawn - but nothing more.

Isn’t life like that sometimes?

We hear something, notice something, or imagine something, and immediately begin worrying about what might happen. Before we know it, we are planning around a problem that has not occurred or preparing ourselves for a storm that may never come.

And while we are busy worrying, we miss what is happening right in front of us.

I missed part of a beautiful morning because I was thinking about the rain. I cut short a walk I had been enjoying. I stopped noticing the comfortable air and the peaceful beginning of the day because my mind had already moved ahead to something that might happen.

How often do we do that?

I once heard the phrase, “There is a difference between being worried and being wise.”

Being wise means paying attention, staying aware, and making thoughtful choices. Worrying means living through something in our minds before we even know if it is going to happen.

Yes, we need to be aware, but we do not need to worry about everything.

We do not need to let the possibility of tomorrow’s storm take away the peace we are experiencing today. When we do, we can rush through a good moment because we are anticipating the next problem. We can hold back our joy because we are afraid something might change.

Life asks us to be aware and prepared. But it also asks us to notice what is here now.

That morning, the sky was beautiful. The air was comfortable. I was safe. I was enjoying my walk.

The storm was only in my thoughts.