We are getting plenty of summer rain due to repeated collisions of warm moist air from the north with the cool southerlies. Swirling mists also form, around the hills and along the coast. In the late afternoon there was a pattern of pale blues - clouds softening the sky and mist shrouding the view across Island Bay beyond Taputeranga to Baring Head, giving an air of mystery - what lies beyond? is the route safe? (Whenever I see mist swirling around the jagged rocks of Taputeranga I think of how this island was a refuge for people of Ngati Ira, sheltering there from danger that did in the end overtake them.)
All of this seems to me an apt reminder. The year is almost over. What we all do is important for the future of this good earth and the life it supports. Our view of the future is misty, but we can have some awareness about our impact right now. Are we prepared to focus on this, to take notice and really see? How conscious are we of the route we are taking? Are we clear about the choices we are making?
We can hope for safety, that we can find a way to care properly for our precious planet. But there are hazards - we can become befuddled and not see what is around us, in the way that the mist obscures the sharpness of the rocks. For me the mist is a dramatic reminder to have clarity of intention - caring for life and the earth that supports it - and to have this intention act as a compass to guide me.