The Sublime - Part of "Getting There"

I can remember learning the meaning of the word "sublime" when I was in one of my many university art history classes. (I thought just it was the name of a great band!) According to the Oxford English Dictionary the word "sublime" means (in reference to nature and art: "affecting the mind with a sense of overwhelming grandeur or irresistible power; calculated to inspire awe, deep reverence, or lofty emotion, by reason of its beauty, vastness, or grandeur."


For me, the photo of the Bayfield sunset taken last weekend evokes the sense of the "sublime". For someone like me, who writes much more fluently than I can speak, I get "finger-tied" when trying to capture on paper what such a scene means to me. It has just been pointed out to me by a wiseass friend that when I gaze at the sunset I appreciate the presence of clouds as they enhance the overall sunset experience. (This same wiseass took me to task when we watched a sunset that was sans clouds and I voiced a complaint..."what...no clouds...what good is a sunset without a few clouds for colour and texture??")


How can one look at such a sight and not feel the awe-inspiring power of an all-seeing creator, such as the magnificently inspired Michaelangelo's Sistine Chapel, finger-touching, white flowing-haired powerfully majestic God who created such beauty for our appreciation.

On a much smaller scale a sense of peace, beauty and joy can still be created by the simple arrangement of a chair for relaxing and the surrounding plantlife springing into being by the warming of our environment. One's perspective on life (positive or negative) can help us find joy in the simple things in life, as opposed to those more costly, highly pursued yet totally unnecessary consumer-type items.