I've been thinking about this a bit lately....that and the uniqueness of you, me and the average Joe living down the street.
Case-in-point. Last night, leaving Jason's place after our Sunday dinner/Smallville fest, I looked up and saw a beautiful sight that literally took my breath away...Earthshine.
Of course my camera isn't the best for taking images over such distances, so while I was digging my camera out of my case, I told Jase he needed to see this and how he should go get his camera (his is much better than mine so I hoped he could get a decent shot). With some reluctance he dutifully got his camera and tripod and tried taking a few shots for me before stating that they would probably not turn out because his tripod was broken (I haven't purchased one yet but its on the list of stuff I need to get). He then said something that gave me pause...while acknowledging that he knew I loved this stuff it really wasn't his sort of thing.
I guess I hadn't thought of it too much. Looking back I now realize that my roommate does give me a bit of a grunt more than interest when I point out what planets are shining above and lovely juxtapositions of moon and stars. I knew that not everyone was overly observant about the world around them but it dawned on me on that drive home that some people just weren't interested. It may look pretty and thrill me to pieces, but to some people if it didn't effect them personally then there was really no point in looking. I am not just talking about stellar events here...a lot of people don't seem to notice the flowers, the sunset, the beauty that can be seen in really anything if you care to really look.
Funny, because seeing beauty all around me is one of the things that make it worth while getting up in the morning. If you aren't seeing the wonder of the world around you then I can see why so many people are just "going through the motions".
Its like going to yard sales. The ones that so many people tend to sniff at because "its all used or outdated trash". Personally I love yard sales. My grandmother used to pour over the Saturday morning paper during the "selling season". Long before the time I'd get there she'd have her highlighter out marking the paper up and deciding which sales she'd have the best luck at and planning out a driving strategy. For her the sale was the ultimate hunt for bargains (and goodness knows she hauled home far more than her fair share of junk but she'd end up with great deals as well). Long after she couldn't walk well anymore she'd still have me drive around and then insist I go by really slow so she could get a look at what was for sale. Often she'd turn to me and ask "did you see anything good?" because you can only drive by so slowly and making several loops around the block to scope out the same sale would look a bit creepy. I'd often tell her "no" even though I knew she'd have loved to go through the pile of small size women's shoes (she could never get enough shoes in her life) or to thumb through yet another stack of 8-tracks.
The point was that amongst the bits and pieces of broken toys, tangled jewelry and pile of self-help books, that you often would find bits of treasure, overlooked by the general public. Okay, maybe no one else was as big of a fan of that particular author or no one wanted glass goblets in that shade of red...but the fun was the search. To keep your eyes open on the hunt for hidden pockets of gold amongst the dross.
Not that all of life is a yard sale...but I do believe that in order to find beauty in life you do have to look for it. Sure, sometimes it falls in your lap, but if you aren't paying attention a lot of it falls by the wayside. But then what appeals to one person may not necessarily appeal to another. There are tons of things that would have one guy drooling (beer steins from Oktoberfest 1903 with commemorative bottle opener/nose picker) that I wouldn't have given the time of day to...so its all subjective.
I guess that's one of the things that makes this life (and we inhabitants of it)so wonderfully diverse.
5 comments:
I remember a commercial on PBS that basically pointed out, "We're all different, that's what makes life interesting". So, you love your planets and I love my roller skates and the world is all the better for both. :0)
You have your planets, and I have my desert vistas. Like you said at the end, this is what makes the world diverse.
I love when you talk about grandma and her yard sales. I remember how much she loved them when I was little and still lived in Chewelah. My mom and I joined her on many of these saturday trips! I got my first (very own) cat on one of these trips.
I truly enjoy a morning sunrise and ending with a sunset but also love the night sky looking for planets etc.
What would even be better is enjoying them out on the desert where I love to be.
Some of my favorite times were with your grandma doing just that, exploring for treasures we were sure we needed. Is that picture of the moon with your's or Jason's camera? It is awesome. You know I love the sky. Please pull up "Hubble Space Craft" historic pictures and look at what it took, it will blow your mind.
Uncle Chris
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