The other night (1AM) I was sitting on the porch working in my journal. It was quiet out with the exception of the sounds of nature and an occasional car in the distance. The temperature was still hovering in the low 70s and the night air felt delightful. I was sipping on a Mojito made with fresh mint from my garden. My husband was asleep and I could hear him breathing from the bedroom open window. It was nice knowing that I wasn’t alone, and yet I was enjoying some quiet time by myself. Time that I had been reluctant to allow myself since the pandemic first started.
Since March , I have been in overdrive. I’ve spent time working on landscaping, gardening, cleaning and repairing things around the house. I felt that I needed to get as much done as I could before the pandemic ended and I found myself thrust back into a hectic lifestyle. What I didn’t realize, is that I was currently creating the same constant demand on myself and my time.
As I sat there, I remembered that I wanted to see the NEOWISE Comet before it disappeared from view. I turned off the outside lights and wandered to the end of our porch. I lifted my head upward and was awestruck. My eyes watered as I realized that this was the first time I had looked up since the Pandemic started. I have spent my time looking down as I gardened and landscaped. I have spent time looking back to what our life used to be prior to March 2020, and I have looked forward trying to figure what is in our future. But through all this, I had not looked heavenward. I am not speaking metaphorically, I am speaking quite literally.
The overpowering expanse of stars and planets dwarfs us. Our lives are not even a blip in time compared to what has come before. We fret over the smallest things and can be quite a demanding society. We have a sense of entitlement that is unrelenting. We have meltdowns when our waiter doesn’t get our order right, when we are asked to wear a mask into an establishment, or when the person in front of us drives too slow. I have been guilty of being petty and getting frustrated over minuscule issues. Looking up was a moment of reckoning for me.
We are not that important, that significant. We are just inhabitants on this planet called Earth. We owe it to ourselves, and those who came before us, to slow down. To be kinder and gentler to each other and this beautiful planet we call home. Do me a favor tonight. Look up!
