Scenes from a Clear Day

Today was a clear day. I was feeling a little off this morning, so I followed Hippocrates’ recommendation: “If you are in a bad mood go for a walk. If you are still in a bad mood go for another walk”. It was one of the clearest days I had seen in a while. I got to the beach and I immediately found an audience.

I spoke to the birds for a while, teaching them about the facts of life, but they were a tough crowd and kept factchecking me on Wikipedia so I bid them good bye and moved on.

The clouds playing over Los Angeles were a feast for the eyes. The wind was pleasant.

It was so clear I could almost count how many windows needed cleaning in the Santa Monica high-rises . The Palos Verdes Athletic Club was a vision from a James Bond movie, its tropical pink shining among the palm trees, the white stones, and the deep blue ocean.

Back in Redondo Beach, I elaborated on Hippocrates’ advice: “If a walk restores your mood, make sure you seal it with a tasty ramen from the Ramen Shack.” And if a friend joins you, all the better.

In the afternoon I felt a little off again. It’s not so much a bad mood, it’s the Pfizer blues. I’m going to France next week and it seems they are finicky about the J&J vaccines (how surprising!) so I decided to get a second Pfizer booster to make sure no overzealous pharmacist would deny me the pass vaccinale that would let me enjoy all the indoor delicacies that France has to offer.

Anyway, I went out again. This time, I followed the Wright brothers’ advice: “If you want to elevate your mood, elevate your point of view.” I woke the drone up and took them to the beach to look into the setting Sun.

And then… I drove up to Bluff Cove, and from there I spied perchance the greatest wonder of the day. The Sun, almost entirely set, shone its last purple rays on the snowy caps of the mountains. So much for feeling a little off, I captured a mighty fine day.