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A collection of snippets of the books I write and, occasionally, my life and the things that inspire my writing...

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

A to Z "U"

U is for...universe.

When I was a little kid, it was a pretty big deal to wish on the first star I saw each evening.  And now, as an adult, I still like to do it--though the wishes have changed. Shhh...don't ask. I can't tell. I'm sure wishes on stars are just like wishes on birthday candles. If you tell-- they don't come true.

And as an adult, I've developed a love of watching the stars come out. Have you ever done it?  After the sun sets, the watch starts. And the stars appear mysteriously. A moment earlier there was no star there, but now there is. An abracadabra kind of thing--another kind of magic in our lives.

In my part of the world, (western Pennsylvania, USA) our light pollution is minimal. But horizons are generally obscured by light.  So for our best view, we look up at the universe.  It's nearly overwhelming-- how many stars are visible on a clear night.  And the thoughts that go through my mind??

Who are we--humans as a whole? Who are our ancestors? What are we doing here, and why are we here?  And are we really alone?  Surely...there must be others. Well, that might be at the root of my scifi-ish leanings when I put pen to paper--or fingers to keyboard as the case usually is. :-)

Why are we so drawn to it? What pulls our eyes heavenward?  And then we are mesmerized, thinking long, deep thoughts that nothing else comes so close to inspiring. It's not just me. Ask yourself. Ask anyone--what do you think about when you are gazing at the stars?

There's real mystery there, but it's not a frightening. It's an unknown that we're comfortable  with.

The universe. There's just so much out there. And the thing about it is that it's a conundrum. The more we know about it, the less we know.

When I was a little girl, I remember listening to my sister, Anna, talk about Neil Armstrong's famous walk. A few hours before it happened--and it was all the talk of everyone everwhere, Anna said, "I hope they find out it really is made of blue cheese!"

Yep, we were a simple bunch of people. And I think that what my sister said was very telling. We want to have some mysteries remain. We want to be able to just look up at the universe and dream.

*note--if you have an Android powered cellphone, and you don't already know about this free app, check out Skymap. Once you load it on your phone, click on the app, any way you move your phone, it identifies the stars, planets, an constellations in whichever direction you point your phone. Really, really neat app.

A couple photos--both mine. One, the moon, as taken. Another, a pic of the sunset, filtered for color and stars added, one little old dot at a time with Windows Paint.

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9 comments:

  1. See now, that's the deep conspiracy because they don't want you to know the moon is made of blue cheese.

    (love the pics)

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  2. Universe is what we see. Yet Universe is also what we do not see but live in, get impacted by, get surrounded by, get infused and inflated by. It is everywhere and everything and every moment it defies itself and creates a new one both into the past and into the future. What wee see is actually a history of Universe. But what we feel is the now and here version of it. What we bear inside deep within is the future of Universe. As time "passes" what is inside of us will divulge and become part of the new Universe if it is ever expanding. Just like a small dot on a balloon will become an image when sufficiently inflated or just like a small dot on the horizon will grow to be a huge ship when sufficiently close. Universe is not a mystery, it already is, it is out there, it is in here. What is mystery is the human mind, the way it perceives and reflects back with both kindness and wisdom and equally potent urge and hate... That is the real mystery, that both taking place in the same Universe ...

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  3. Yes isn't it strange? That Universe adds to itself ...

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  4. WOW...what Cemil said!!! I wish I could have put that in words, but I can't, so what he said! Plus what you said and showed with your amazing photos. Great Shots!!!

    I watched Neil Armstrong take those first steps...at least that's what the TV said we were seeing. The 'Cheese Crater' was just over the horizon...I'm sure of it!

    My Letter 'U'...UFO Retreat
    Sue CollectInTexasGal
    AtoZ LoneStar Quilting Bee

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  5. Sounds wonderful. I love that you haven't lost your childhood wonder. We also like to watch the stars. when my family visit from the city we always go outside and star gaze.

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  6. I love watching the stars. I find a lot of writing inspiration in them.

    Have a wonderful Wednesday. ☺

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  7. The pictures (specially the second one) are stunning. It is good that you still have a child in you.

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  8. Did you see Michael Offut's books? I am reading "Slipstream" It is very good so far. Like I said I have to read and re- read in order to follow. May be you will enjoy it more. The child inside you tells me that you will like his books.

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  9. Stars are my life :) I love watching them and I do every night almost. I think the Universe is such a vast and beautiful thing. Lovely post!
    Visiting from the A to Z Challenge.

    Steph
    http://www.texastolondon.com/

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