Lessons from the Moon.

Let me just preface this by saying: I know how corny it is to reflect on one's life after experiencing a monumental event, such as a comet, a tsunami, or in my case, a lunar eclipse. But this isn't going to be about some revelation I experienced because a Higher Power pointed out to me the "deeper meaning" of the eclipse and how I should not allow the petty details of my life to eclipse its greater meaning, etc etc. No. Heavens, no.

The lesson I learned this evening - or, shall I say, morning - is simply how damn impatient I am. I'm currently visiting my father for the holidays and he lives in the North. Coming from Oklahoma where the weather can be as ever-changing as Rihanna's hairdos, I thought I knew the definition of "cold." I was sorely mistaken.

Last week, I can vividly remember walking to one of my finals in shorts. Shorts, and a light jacket. Now I find myself reaching for the North Face anytime anyone opens a door. When our plane landed in this frigid state Saturday night, it was exactly one degree. One. You can't even add an "s" to pluralize it...because it's just ONE.

Not surprisingly, I heard from several people about the lunar eclipse that is to take place tonight. I'm kind of a celestial nerd and couldn't have been more excited. I've spent the day lounging around in leggings, a t-shirt and some tall booties from Old Navy. You know the type, the obnoxious knitted ones with furry balls that dangle from the top? I know you own a pair. They're heavenly.

Back to my point. I decided to sit outside for a few minutes, hoping to catch a glimpse of the moon's disappearance. I threw on a puffy jacket and headed to the backporch to wait.

I waited for quite some time. My heart leaped when I noticed that a tiny sliver of the moon had indeed darkened. I took pictures, trying to see if I could notice a difference. I couldn't. Finally, one of my friends informed me that this eclipse would last precisely 72 minutes. I decided that at the end of 72 minutes my eyes would probably be frozen over and I had no desire to spend twice that amount of time thawing out, so I came inside. I plan on periodically poking my head out to check its progress. It's the lunar eclipse, but the Reader's Digest version for those of us who can't be bothered with battling the elements to see one of nature's true miracles.

And that's the thing. I have this problem that I'm sure very few people will have trouble relating to. I have a tendency to live life very fast. I am constantly in a hurry, constantly stressed, constantly starting new projects and always feeling like I need to be "on the move."

I am impatient with nearly everything and everyone in my life. I'm impatient with love, always wondering why it isn't here yet. Impatient with my life, anxiously awaiting the day when I'll discover what I want to do with mine. We've all heard the expression, "Stop and Smell the Roses." Well here's the thing, I'm not a big fan of roses and if they're going to slow me down I am probably just going to walk around them. Daisies, now, are a different story entirely.

But seriously, where is all this rushing taking us? Closer and closer to...what? Death? Because, unfortunately, that's where we're all headed. It's the big Dead End in the road that we're all going to hit eventually. So why in the hell are we always speeding towards it? Maybe we'd all be a lot happier if we just had the capability to slow down, and let things happen.

I've made plenty of mistakes in my life, some of them huge. Tonight I realized that trying to rush everything in my life might be one of the biggest ones. Because I don't want to have to slam on the brakes when I see my Dead End sign, wishing I'd allowed myself more time to laugh, more time to help others, more time to enjoy all the little in-between moments of life. I want to take my time getting there, and live a life so that when I finally see that sign I'll be able to face it happily, knowing there's nothing I could have done better, and that I left this world better than I found it.

RED.

Everything about this world, this life
Is open to interpretation, Nothing is set in stone
Not our words, or our actions
Or the colors that decorate the world and make it beautiful

Consider red.

Not just a reflection of light, floating in space
Wavelengths and shades vary, as do the emotions they raise
Influencing decisions, inspiring our hearts
Making us passionate, warning our conscience

Scarlet is passion, encouraging us to love
Giving us courage to face the fear without being afraid
To jump, take a risk or fly
Scarlet dares me to give my heart away

Pink is delicate, sensitive comfort
Harkening back to an age of innocence, when living was simple
The color of friendship, of love and kind thoughts
Blushing with desire, pink is safe

Crimson is rage, a different kind of passion
Desire to lead in the face of diversity
Determination to succeed, the will of revenge
Danger, wrath and passion; conveyed in a dark cherry hue

So you see, nothing is quite as it seems
A word has not only one meaning,
A color is not merely for decoration or flavor
The world around us is always dependent on how we view it

Consider red.

Perspective Time

Well I must say, this is a unique situation to be starting my first adult blog. I'm currently amidst twenty or so of my sisters, on the second floor landing of my sorority house, listening to the Police Scanner for news about the recent campus shooting. Although unconventional, it seems as good a time as any to realize how much I have to be thankful for in my life.

Today I received a pretty big wake up call from God, via a few of my wonderful sisters. I'd spent quite a bit of time throwing myself a pity party for a variety of trivial reasons...I wasn't recommended for a position I desperately want, I have to work this weekend so I don't get to go home and see my family and pets, and I'm dealing with seemingly endless drama concering the opposite sex.

Soon I began to hear firsthand about all of the serious issues people are dealing with in life. Some sisters have family members who need emergency surgery, others have family members or close friends who have recently passed away or committed suicice. Suddenly nothing I was going through - not my bout of homesickness, or even my recent breakup of a 4 year relationship - seemed nearly as important. Suddenly, I came to the realization that sometimes God has a plan bigger than I can see with my jaded human eyes.

So I'm on a mission. To blindly put my faith in Him, trusting that he will lead me down a path to happiness. To no longer cling to the smallness of my past, or anyone who has played a role in it. To seize each given day as a new blessing, because it is all too apparent that we are not always guaranteed another. And to discover the person that I truly am, in my heart of hearts.


But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:31