And then there was one.
I bid Katie goodnight and began my walk home. I looked at the time on my phone, and realizing that I still had about 7 minutes until midnight, and regretting not having had the opportunity to go jogging the previous two days, I decided to head to the tread mill for a quick 6 minute mile.
As I walked back to my house, drawing deep breathes, I couldn't help but notice the beauty of the stars above. After drinking some cold water at home to prepare myself for the following day, I grabbed a blanket and returned to the cold frosty air. I threw the blanket on the sand of the volley ball court, found a comfortable spot, and began gazing upon the stars. There were so many, and they were so deep, so far away, and yet so clear. I watched my breath as it slowly ascended to heaven in a cloudy mist. It reminded me of childhood games, pretending that I could blow smoke or fire my cold lips. I couldn't help but appreciate how the air seemed to twist and spread. Each breath was different from the one before, and a unique work of art that was destined to fade away, leaving me as the only person to ever witness the beauty of that breath.
I couldn't help but think that far away, circling one of the distant stars that seemed to stand out more than the others, there was probably a planet much like ours with people lying out gazing upon our star. In the stars distant to that planet there would be more planets with more people, and they would be gazing upon even more distant stars with more planets and people, and so on throughout the infinite immensity of space. I thought it odd that we would probably be very similar in appearance and in heart, but we would be separated by language, culture, and the vastness of time and space - all bounds of mortality. I looked around and laughed at how much our culture was evident around me and how much it must vary. The fence was covered with a string of colored lights in celebration of a holiday that they probably wouldn't celebrate, or at least not in the same way. I saw the flag waving, a symbol of our country's history, pride, and values. I saw the net erected across the sand that I was lying on, designed for playing a game that is custom to our culture. I considered how small our planet is, and how I am only one of more than 6 billion people. The stars in the heavens outnumber the people here, and many of those stars probably host billions of people as well. It makes us seem insignificant, yet it's reassuring to know that despite the endless stars, planets, and people, God still knows me and cares about me. Obviously, we must have more value and worth than we realize.
In the darkness, I felt at peace. The stars seemed a masterpiece, more beautiful than any painting that human hands could form. To compliment the beauty of the heavens, I was being serenaded by Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, Pachelbel's Canon in D, and other songs that seemed to fit the mood. As I felt numbness begin to spread through my face, and my body began to shake uncontrollably to the rhythm of my chattering teeth, I started to tell myself "just one more song then I'll be done. Just one more song…" That continued until the playlist I had chosen finished, and I was left with the beautiful sound of silence.
I realized that perhaps it wouldn't be so cold if I had someone to hold and share the moment with. I also considered what it meant to be alone. There were some disadvantages, but being alone meant that I could enjoy the peace, the silence, and just admire God's creations. I decided to be enjoy the moment and to relish the special silence that I had.
Finally I decided that it was time to go inside and get warm. As I stood I felt dizzy, but content and at peace. I grabbed the backpack that had been acting as my pillow, shook the sand off my blanket, and began walking back to my place. It was 1:00 AM. The evening lasted longer than most, but it had been an amazing night.
0 comments:
Post a Comment