The Lonely Cloud

Have you ever been in a situation where you needed help, but no one was around to give it? I’m not talking about needing a little assistance, like when you’re juggling three bags of groceries and suddenly get the mother of all itches, but you can’t put the groceries down or your two hungry dogs drooling next to you will rip them to shreds.

I am talking about a genuine life-or-death situation here. You needed help, real help, but you were isolated. Totally alone. So I ask you, what did you do? How did it end?

In your case, it had a happy-ish ending. How do I know? Well, you are here, aren’t you?

A similar situation happened to a boy named Adrian on a hot summer’s day, just after lunch, in a New Mexico park.

But the story didn’t begin with the boy. It started with a cloud.

It was a hot, dry day in New Mexico. The temperature was 108 degrees, and everything was baking slowly in the hot sun. Occasionally, a warm but tiny breeze, barely strong enough to raise a kite, would blow through the park, making the sweltering heat slightly bearable. A handful of park visitors were enjoying the day by hiking, picnicking, and marveling at the local plants and small animals, though silently praying for anything to cool them down. There were no trees for shade, and the two water fountains in the park were only working at a trickle. Suddenly, in the clear sky, something moved. Few noticed it. The tiny cloud floated about a thousand feet above the park’s far end.

It was the only cloud in the sky.

But that wasn’t why it was special. This cloud had a story.

Now, before I go on, you must know a few things about clouds. First, their lives are very short. I am talking much shorter than a fruit fly. Sometimes their lives are only measured in minutes. Second, they don’t have thoughts like we do. Actually they don’t think much at all. But they do have something that many humans aren’t aware of. They have presence, and they live in this presence constantly. What is presence, you ask? Well, a cloud can show you if you are patient. Look at a cloud and take a few deep breaths, no need to think. Soon after your mind will calm a bit and you stop thinking things like “Look, the cloud looks like an ice cream cone!” or “It is really bright today” or “I am too hot” or “Which direction is the cloud moving?”

Eventually, your thoughts will relax and you will be as peaceful and present as the cloud. Simple. They have so much presence that if you stop and look at a cloud, you will find the presence inside of you.

Clouds just ARE, until they ARE NOT.

Alright, let’s focus on this cloud drifting solo above a warm park in New Mexico. Although clouds aren’t male or female, they are much more than just an object. (I’ll alternate between “he” and “she” to keep things interesting, just as storytellers often do. When you tell a story, you can do whatever you want; try it sometime.)

This cloud was petite and fluffy, gliding quickly whenever a breeze stirred. It reveled in sailing along the summer winds, akin to a surfer mastering mighty ocean waves. She was proud that a low-flying cloud like herself was one of the few things that made the wind visible to the humans below.

So on this extra hot day, the cloud took a break after playing alone for a few hours. And as he rested, he searched the sky for another cloud, another playmate. But no other cloud was near him. He moved forward, hoping to find a friend, but he found none.

He moved backward. No clouds.

He moved to the left. No clouds.

And he moved to the right. No clouds.

He even looked up, and there was only a blue sky as far as he could see. Not a single companion cloud was visible anywhere in the big sky.

Then he realized he was alone in the sky on that hot July afternoon, and a thought occurred to him.

He hadn’t looked down, all the way down, to the ground. Clouds don’t usually look down to the earth. Why should they? They are generally too busy with cloud friends, cloud games, and other cloud business. But today was different because he was alone for the first time. So he took a deep breath and looked way down to the ground.

And that is when the cloud saw him.

In the middle of a wide-open field was a little boy. The boy seemed to be all alone, too.

And the cloud moved closer.

The boy looked very short. But the cloud didn’t realize that the boy was sitting until he drifted closer (clouds don’t have the best vision, you know)

“Why did the chair have wheels on it?” whispered the cloud to himself. “Strange, but cool!” thought the cloud. “That way you don’t have to stand up to move around!” Human business always amazes clouds, just as clouds often amaze us.

And the cloud moved closer.

The cloud was now only a few hundred feet above the ground. That is very low for a cloud. The cloud could now plainly see that the small metal chair on two big black wheels was not moving. The boy’s face was red and sweating as he pushed with all his might against the wheels that were stuck in a small but deep hole.

The cloud looked around, hoping to see a parent or friend who would rescue this boy who was seemingly trapped, exhausted, and overheating, but there was no one anywhere close to the boy. The other children, who might have offered help, were at the other end of the park, far from the boy’s reach.

Suddenly, the boy stopped trying to move and slumped over in exhaustion. The cloud took notice and rushed into action. (Or should I say, blew into action.) He positioned himself between the hot sun and the boy, so a large area of cool shade materialized around the boy and his wheelchair. From the boy’s perspective, he first noticed everything got darker and cooler and instantly felt better.

The boy found the strength to lift his head, gazing skyward with curiosity and wonder. His tired gaze met the small fluffy, low-flying cloud, and he began to smile.

The boy was happy, and the cloud was no longer lonely.

“Wait there!” the boy exclaimed to the cloud. And the cloud looked down in disbelief. “Was he talking to me?” the cloud thought. Humans don’t usually talk to clouds. (Have you ever spoken to a cloud? Try it and see what happens.)

The boy then reached for a small bag and pulled out a colorful object on a long string. Little did the cloud know the kite now in the boy’s hands was a gift from his grandfather. The boy and his grandfather regularly visited the park together and flew the kite. That was years ago when the boy’s legs worked better.

The boy was in the park that day to fly the kite as a tribute to his grandfather’s memory.

The cloud looked on in amazement as the small, colorful kite grew in size. “How can it be growing so big?” she thought. Then she realized it wasn’t growing, it was getting closer.

The boy was letting the string out, hoping to share his grandfather’s kite with his new friend, the lonely cloud.

The cloud was so happy and excited it started to do what clouds do in those situations. What do they do, you ask? They change shapes or course! As the kite reached the same height as the cloud, it started gently moving back and forth in the breeze. The happy cloud morphed into a dog, then a unicorn, then a narwhal, then a dolphin. The boy started laughing hysterically as he looked on with amazement.

After he finally stopped laughing, he yelled up at the cloud. “Thank you!” but barely a whisper came out of his mouth. He realized he was so thirsty that his throat was parched and raspy.

The happy cloud heard the boy and smiled. He knew what he could do.

He now knew what he was meant to do.

The cloud took a deep breath and transformed from a light, fluffy, nimble cloud to a darker, heavier rain cloud as it gathered all the moisture from the surrounding air that he could muster.

The refreshing rain fell gently on the boy, cooling him down and quenching his thirst.

And the boy smiled as he reeled in his kite.

The cloud was no longer in the sky.

He was with the boy.