As us Earth Watchers stood on the deck, the blood moon swept us off our feet, the shooting stars tickled our eyes, and the hint of aurora gave us something to yearn for. We talked and we laughed (so much that Andrea said that her entire body hurt from laughing-- perhaps she forgot our bout of jumping in the lichens). However, in the intermittent moments of silence, I could tell that we were all feeling the same thing. We felt awe, we felt joy, and we felt small.
Regardless of our individual accomplishments, worldly travels, and amazing aspirations, it's humbling to know that we all share in the same experience when we gaze at the sky. The other night as we gazed at the aurora for the first time, Andrew, chef extraordinaire, was singing a Train song “aboot” a woman who traveled the galaxy. He ended the song with the question “Are you lonely looking for yourself out there?” To speak for all of us I answer with a resounding no.
In those moments, we transported years back to our childhood when we would wish upon stars. The essence of our being awoke with delight. I came to the revelation that while we were amazed at what we saw, we were simply looking at our reflection. The night sky resonated our beauty, our potential, and our tendency to put on a show when others are watching. Of course the clouds got jealous and sent us packing. However, we saw it all and we felt more than we anticipated. At the end of the day, we are all packets of star dust wandering these LEED certified halls. To realize that is to embrace ourselves and the cosmos that we call home. To live this, we try to stay informed about the world and make meaningful adjustments in our own lives. I hope we take this memory and use it as a tool to remind others of how beautiful our world is and the fact that we should protect it. It remind me of a proverb that states “Be humble for you are made of earth, be noble for you are made of stars.” I wish we all infinitely express this in our actions.
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According to the writer/poet Henry Van Dyke, “Today gives us a chance to love, to work, to play, and to look up at the stars."
My rendition goes as follows:
Today gave us a chance...
To laugh (with some jokes being at the expense of others “keyword: starch”),
To work (or rather complete most of the weighing on time),
To play (by means of a lot of laying, hopping, and jumping), and
To find solace, peace, and ourselves in the stars.
We also ran (or speed walked for our lives, keyword: polar bear!)
In ending: What a great day it was to be alive!
Regardless of our individual accomplishments, worldly travels, and amazing aspirations, it's humbling to know that we all share in the same experience when we gaze at the sky. The other night as we gazed at the aurora for the first time, Andrew, chef extraordinaire, was singing a Train song “aboot” a woman who traveled the galaxy. He ended the song with the question “Are you lonely looking for yourself out there?” To speak for all of us I answer with a resounding no.
In those moments, we transported years back to our childhood when we would wish upon stars. The essence of our being awoke with delight. I came to the revelation that while we were amazed at what we saw, we were simply looking at our reflection. The night sky resonated our beauty, our potential, and our tendency to put on a show when others are watching. Of course the clouds got jealous and sent us packing. However, we saw it all and we felt more than we anticipated. At the end of the day, we are all packets of star dust wandering these LEED certified halls. To realize that is to embrace ourselves and the cosmos that we call home. To live this, we try to stay informed about the world and make meaningful adjustments in our own lives. I hope we take this memory and use it as a tool to remind others of how beautiful our world is and the fact that we should protect it. It remind me of a proverb that states “Be humble for you are made of earth, be noble for you are made of stars.” I wish we all infinitely express this in our actions.
------------
According to the writer/poet Henry Van Dyke, “Today gives us a chance to love, to work, to play, and to look up at the stars."
My rendition goes as follows:
Today gave us a chance...
To laugh (with some jokes being at the expense of others “keyword: starch”),
To work (or rather complete most of the weighing on time),
To play (by means of a lot of laying, hopping, and jumping), and
To find solace, peace, and ourselves in the stars.
We also ran (or speed walked for our lives, keyword: polar bear!)
In ending: What a great day it was to be alive!