Only a few short weeks ago, the view outside of my window was awash in riveting color. A vivid blue sky framed a dazzling foreground of yellow-gold trees; the wispy outlines of the Rocky Mountains loomed in the distance. The airy blueness of the sky, the fiery brightness of the leaves, and the solid, imperturbable presence of the mountains—beauty so striking, I remember thinking that I had seen paintings which looked more realistic.