Tonight I went outside with my dogs. Usually I just open the door and let them out to roam the fenced yard until they start being noisy. But it's warm in our home, and I refuse to turn the A/C back on when the nights are so cool. So I stepped out on the deck and sat down.
As per usual, my eyes turned skyward, which is mostly dark, what with the New Moon tomorrow. Plus we had storms today so there were clouds breaking up. I live near a city and an airport, so light pollution abounds, but it was darker than most nights... and I must say, it was wonderful.
The breeze was light and cool, the crickets were singing so loud I could almost ignore the sounds of the airport and traffic, and my dogs' running paws were but whispers in the grass. I remembered how much I love the night. I remembered how I used to lay in the front yard of the house where I grew up and stare up into the universe. Back then, I lived out in the boonies with little light pollution compared to where I live now. On a nice dark night, like tonight, sans clouds, you could see the Milky Way. My friend and I would lay there for so long, we could actually track the constellations moving across the sky.
We had some of our deepest, most meaningful conversations then. Well, as meaningful as 10-year olds can be. And I used to let myself get lost in the feeling of small. Not the bad feeling of small, like I am unimportant, but instead, the feeling of small in that there is SO much out there. It would start with the rare car that would pass on the road... what was that person thinking, where were they heading, did the realize that my form was laying there in the dark in the grass (doubtful)... to what were my neighbors doing, watching on TV, thinking, feeling... and on and on until you feel the entire world just breathing and moving and you are but a speck within it. So much life, so much activity, so much going on in nature and in human nature... and then you look up at those stars and realize how so very tiny you are...
And you FEEL that feeling of "small".
And you realize,
The Universe is Endless...
and so are your Opportunities.
And tonight, I remembered that for the very first time in a very long time. It nearly took my breath away.
What a wonderful memory and to bring it so up to date by feeling the same again. I love that, I love the way you have worded it, I felt I was there with your 10 year old self, looking and feeling as you did then and it was beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing this
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I enjoyed reading and thinking about the feeling of small very much indeed
ReplyDeleteWonderful post Kai! That is what I like about going to the shore. Looking at the ocean always gives me that feeling of small.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!!!
ReplyDeleteFab! And so true - vast skies, the horizon out to sea, or being up in mountains - all those will bring that feeling to me :-)
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