We almost missed this shot. Returning home to Denver one afternoon, we pulled onto US 285 heading east. As we climbed, I checked my rear view and saw Mt. Princeton quietly shrouded in clouds.

We’d seen the mountain, one of Colorado’s 53 14ers, many times before, but not like this. Thankfully we were able to safely do a u-turn and grab a shot or two before the clouds dissipated, going on their merry way.

It wasn’t until much later that I realized the beauty I saw was always there—it was the same mountain after all—but that it stood out mostly by its relationship with the striking blue sky and the Earth-hugging clouds.

I wonder if that’s true for human beings too. Perhaps it takes a new relationship with something or someone before we, freshly relieved of our ill-fitting beliefs, recognize and appreciate the beauty that has been there all along.

See this and more from around the Rocky Mountains here.