 |
| Source |
Despite all the insanity of my last few weeks, or maybe because of it, I was able to share a wonderful experience with my husband and the kids. My brother-in-law invited us out on his boat in the wee house of the morning to watch the Perseid meteor shower. For me it was kinda like the middle of my "day". I must admit I was tense at first, as I'm out of my element on a boat, and adding dark to that increased my unease. But eventually I got over it.
We got pretty far out from shore, cut the lights and engine and all snuggled up in blankets* and stared up at the sky. The kids wondered at all the stars they hadn't seen before and it still wasn't as brilliant as it is in the mountains with even less light pollution. Pretty soon we were counting up the shooting stars. Five, ten, fifteen and then we lost count. Felicity asked me where all those rocks had come from and I told her it was the tail of a comet. That led to more questions of "how is it everything is moving outward so fast". So I explained the Big Bang Theory, and about super massive black holes, and even the more debated theories. Both children found this fascinating and wonderful.
After a while we all fell into a comfortable silence. As I watched the play of the light of the moon on water, and an occasional meteor reflected as well I was reminded just how tiny we are in the grand scheme of the universe. It is so vast it is almost incomprehensible. It reminded me that my problems were trifling in the grand scheme and to enjoy life whenever I can.
Don't forget we live in an amazing world and that sometimes we have to remind ourselves to look at it in a child-like way. Last night I made lots of wishes as I watched the stars fall from the sky.
*Ah, lake weather. At 4am in the morning with a breeze it was pretty chilly.
I am a little jealous and envious, but am so glad you and your family were able to enjoy such a wondrous event.
ReplyDeleteWhat an ahmazing thing to experience. Totally worth the early morning wake up call I'm sure!
ReplyDeleteHaving them fall asleep in the back of the car on the way home was so cute, too.
DeleteWhen the Northridge Earthquake blew out all the electrical transformers in LA at 4:30 a.m. on January 17, 1994, I rolled the kids (then 9 and 8) into blankets and hauled them outside into the suddenly revealed darkness to show them the stars. They've never let me live it down. I don't care. Too bad it wasn't August.
ReplyDeleteGood for you! We were actually in the mountains camping last year during the Perseid shower but there was this pesky bear that wrecked our campsite so we high-tailed it out of there.
DeleteAlso that camping trip we discovered raccoons like cheesy poofs.
Sounds magical! I'm glad you could answer their astronomy questions; I don't think I'd be able to! :)
ReplyDeleteI read too many science articles for my own good. Or not enough. Depends on who you talk to. And it was lovely.
DeleteFunny you should mention this, there has been some recent psychological research about the 'awe' factor, which can make time seem to go more slowly. It boosts life satisfaction, therefore improving mental health! It also makes us more likely to be nice to others! All according to Stanford University, there's an article here:
ReplyDeletehttp://theweek.com/article/index/230934/could-awe-therapy-make-us-nicer
Miss P xx
www.porcelinasworld.blogspot.com
I saw a few postings about that article come across my news feed too!
DeleteMmmm, your post is perfect. Life and our world is so beautiful!
ReplyDelete