TWO LEAVES CLAPPING

This morning, after four hours of sleep, I arose a few minutes after 4:00 and went into my study to watch the sunrise. Some would not call it spectacular, but every sunrise is beautiful to me and full of meaning. This one was mainly white, with a low bunch of ragged purplish gray clouds hovering just above the white horizon, so ragged they might have once been wads of newspaper. I wondered what location was under them and what was happening there. But I didn't continue watching this sight and went back to bed, not to sleep, but to observe my tree. 

Through the mini-blinds, its shadow dimly covered my juxtaposed windows which take up a space about eight feet wide by six. I watched through the bit of open window six inches high and saw everything was still. But as the sun topped the foothills, the shadows became more prominent and by 7:00 reached their full glory. Breezes started also at that same time, and so the show was really doing its thing. Then I spotted something more interesting. When the tree settled down to take a breath, I suppose, I saw two leaves clapping as if they were at a concert. they looked like hands. This happened after several numbers by the wind and was highly amusing.  

But tonight, a while before dark, I lay down on my bed to watch the tree again. It offered a different kind of concert, not peaceful, but a free-for-all performance. I searched for the clapping leaves and they were not in attendance. They knew good taste!