Dog Days

The "Dog days of summer" are coming to an end and one might expect that would mean that cooler temperatures will be coming quickly. However, although the dog days are associated with summer time heat, they are associated more by correlation than by causation. 
The time from early July until mid August is often the hottest time of year in the northern hemisphere. It is also the time of year that the constellation Canis Major (the big dog) and Sirius, the night's brightest star, are emerging from being behind the sun.
Sirius, (the Dog Star) is just now visible in the early morning sky, rising just before sunrise. By winter it will be visible nearly the entire night, rising at around 7:30 PM on the solstice. 

I mention this because our temps are heading upwards again and will be nearing 100 (38 C) degrees in just a few days. The couple of cooler days were welcome, but today starts another warm up. I'm okay with that.  The continuing March towards shorter days and cooler temps makes me a little sad. 
I am a summer boy.

August is motivating me to get ready for the coming winter. And by "getting ready for winter" I mean planning a trip to a warmer climate! I hope that airfare remains affordable for trips to Mexico. Or maybe we can plan something along the southern coast of Texas or Florida. That would work, too.

Happy Monday.
Enjoy the sun and the summer. 
Summer days are going quickly.

John

August

It is going to be an unusually cool and overcast day for this time of year.
Overall, it has been a pretty decent summer. Although we have had our hot days, they have been bearable and we have only reached 100 degrees (38 C) one time -- so far.

I'm basically a summer person and the hot days don't really bother me that much. In fact, we managed almost all of June with the windows open and no A/C. It will be nice to turn the A/C off for the day and let the fresh air flow through the house today.

The night sky in August is a good one. The so called star of the show is generally the Perseids meteor shower which peaks on the night of the 12th and early morning of the 13th. For those in Iceland or Spain, a total solar eclipse happens during the daylight hours of the 12th. This means that there is a new moon phase and dark sky for the nighttime meteor shower. 
North American sky watchers can catch the partial lunar eclipse later in the month on the evening of the 27th.

Additionally, there will be an early morning planetary alignment that coincides with the solar eclipse and meteor shower. Venus will still be in the evening sky, but the rest of the planets will line up nicely just before dawn in the eastern sky on the morning of the 12th.
It should be noted that Neptune and Uranus are not visible without a small telescope and Mercury, never very far from the sun, will not be visible until just before sunrise.

Tuesday, August 4, is Primary day in Missouri with several important ballot items. 
Missouri voters are weird. They will vote for progressive ballot initiatives and also vote for the conservative representatives that oppose them and often try to overturn the will of the people through other legislative measures. 
smh

The calendar page turns and life moves on.

Happy August!
John

Monday evening

It's Monday evening and I just finished book #33 for the year. 
It's a nice evening temperature-wise and the deck is a pretty nice place to spend the evening. 
I may need to get some kind of mounted light fixture so that I can enjoy the pool at night. That may also require a bug zapper of some type. We don't have the nighttime bats like the Puerto Vallarta kids have.
Today was the 7th day of having the pool. It was filled last Tuesday and I have been in it every day.
I'll try to get the lawn mowed early tomorrow so that I can spend the afternoon relaxing in the pool. We should have just gotten one of these when we moved in six years ago.

I was out for breakfast with a friend this morning so my normal morning routine was disturbed. I am spending my Chromebook and quiet time on the deck this evening. 

I avoided writing about the nation's 250th anniversary celebration over the weekend. Honestly, I am a little torn on the subject. I do very much love the life I have here in the USA, but I have become more critical of many of the methods that we employ to maintain this way of life. The deep divide that exists, not only between the US and her allies, but between political factions within the US deeply concerns me. 
Whether it is within our borders or between our allies (or even our enemies), intimidation and violence shouldn't always be the first method of attack. We should have matured beyond the playground bully stage of life.
We have earned a reputation that I do not like and fear that it will take quite some time to overcome. I truly wish that we (humanity) could have more of a global community and look out for one another. 

In astronomic news, we have passed the point on our annual trek around the sun where we reached the farthest point from the sun and the slowest part of our orbit. The earth will begin to pick up a little speed as we get closer to the sun. 
I haven't done much star gazing lately. I should do that again. Recently the night sky (day sky, too) has been a bit hazy with some Saharan dust high in the atmosphere. Soon we will be contending with smoke from the Colorado fires. Our summer weather patterns are a little strange this year. 

I hope you have had a good Monday to begin your week. 

John

A Longer Summer -- I like it!

Just as Memorial Day is the unofficial beginning to summer in the US, Labor Day is its unofficial end. Due to a simple quirk of the calandar, this year Memorial Day fell on the earliest date and Labor Day will fall on its latest date. That gives us (unofficially) a few more days of the summer season!

I like it!

I will take as many summer days as I can get.
It does appear that this summer might be warmer and wetter than usual. We are getting an early glimpse of the wetter part as it looks like today will be another dreary and damp day here in the Ozarks of SWMO. I don't mind the gentle spring rains that we've been getting recently, but the severe weather is a different story. There has already been severe hail damage and flash flooding in our area during some late April/ early May storms, and the forecast looks like the summer may be full of tornadoes and severe thunderstorms. 
I guess summer has its downside, too.

My morning coffee on the deck is a wonderful way to begin a summer day, even an unofficial summer day such as today. 

As I have been contemplating the personal therapy that regularly posting seems to provide me, I have been trying to envision what Out of My Hat will look like in the coming months. The end of July will mark 20 years that I've been publishing here and the blog has changed as much as I have.
And that's a good thing!
I'd like to write more often, but don't like that this has turned into a type of daily diary. I guess I will have to figure that out. I'd like to be writing about something or sharing something that is beneficial rather than posting about another day in the life of John.

Here's a little celestial trivia for you.
Did you know that the earth is slowing down during this part of its annual orbit?
Because of its elliptical orbit it will reach its greatest distance from the sun in early July (aphelion). This is the point at which the earth is travelling its slowest. As the earth gets closer to the sun, it travels faster. It takes several days more to get from the March equinox to the September equinox than it does from the September equinox to the March equinox. 
Science is cool.

Enjoy your longer summer (my northern hemisphere friends)!

John

Sleeping

I would say I am a short sleeper, which is a relatively rare thing. I spent most of my career on 4.5 to 6 hours of sleep and a power nap (17 minutes) or two during the day and evening hours. Even in retirement, I still feel pretty good after 6 hours of sleep.
However, I don't fit the highly driven, energetic, Type A personality characteristics of a typical short sleeper, so maybe not.

I typically wake up once (after 1 sleep cycle) to go to the bathroom and then sleep through the remaining sleep cycles of the night. Last night I decided to not fight the yawns and went to bed a little earlier than usual and slept 6 consecutive hours. I feel good this morning. I am well rested and ready to take on the day.
As a retired guy, I generally say that I get up when I'm finished sleeping. 
This morning that just happened to be at 5:30. 

I've been sleeping out on the deck this past week as it has been really nice weather for that. One night I woke up and saw the constellation of the Scorpion directly in front of me. The back deck faces about 10-15 degrees east of due south and I thought -- Hmmm, must be about 3 o'clock.
I looked at my phone to check the time and it was 2:59!
When I woke up in the morning, the sky was getting light with the rising sun and I thought -- 7 o'clock. It was 6:56.
I was so impressed with myself that I decided to share that here!

I think that sleep is a bigger deal that most people make it out to be. Most people do well on around 8 hours per night, but just as some of us can function well on considerably less there are those that need more. And honestly, most people (at least in the US) don't get enough.
Healthy diets and exercise get most of the dialogue time and good sleep gets very little. 

There are plenty of studies and much has been written about how to get better sleep, but most people pay little attention to that and assume that out bodies will just figure it out. Unfortunately, not all sleep is good sleep. I consider myself fortunate that I am generally a good sleeper as well as a short sleeper. Maybe those two things go together -- I don't know.

How well do you sleep?
Do you get enough sleep?
What can you do to improve your sleep quality and/or quantity?
Do you prioritize getting enough good sleep?

Sleeping well is a very passive part of good health, but it is also a very important part. We should definitely give it more attention than we do.

John

IT"S SPRING!!!

I am enjoying my morning coffee while sitting on the deck today. It is just a few minutes past the moment when the earth has crossed that point in its annual journey that marks the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere.

One of the added tasks of the transition to spring is to prepare for the arrival of the hummingbirds. I need to get the feeders cleaned and ready for them. I figure I still have a week or so, but they will make good use of an alternate food source while waiting on the flowers to come into full bloom.

I've made the decision to get back on the motorcycle this year. I haven't done much riding in the past couple of years--none at all last year. I have a new battery, but I still need to get it ready, inspected and licensed. 
This seemed to be an appropriate mug for this morning's coffee.

I am looking forward to riding again, but I don't know if I'll be putting in many 500 mile days like I have in the past.
 
You've got to admit, she's a pretty bike.

I'll always remember parking it at a grocery store and an older couple was walking to their car. The woman said to me, "I don't know a thing about motorcycles, but I know about pretty and that's a pretty bike!"
It still makes me smile.

Happy spring to my northern hemisphere friends!

John

Signs of Summer

I know -- winter isn't over yet, but it is always summer in my head.

I am a left-side sleeper and the window next to the bed faces primarily to the south. 
A couple of nights ago, I woke up around 3 AM. I opened my eyes and saw the clock on the nightstand and noted the time. Then my gaze shifted to look out the window and I thought -- "Hey, that's the constellation Scorpio!"
It made me smile and then I went back to sleep.

The Scorpion is a summer constellation.

It is still a few days until spring begins.
If you live in the northern hemisphere and have a sunny day:
Stand outside at noon (local STANDARD time) and your shadow will point to true north.
As summer ends in the southern hemisphere, your shadows will point due south.
It's just one of those equinox things.

As we look forward to longer days in the northern hemisphere, it dawns on me (yes, that's an astronomical pun) that people living near the equator never get to experience the joy of longer periods of sunlight. They pretty much get 12 and 12 all year long.
It's weird that I haven't really thought about that before.

John

In Like a Lion...

The worst of last night's severe weather stayed west and north of us. Highlandville got some of the heavy rain associated with the system, but nothing in the way of tornadoes, hail, nor damaging winds.
Light rain will continue throughout the morning and there are now flood warnings due to the heavy rainfall and swollen rivers and streams.
Hello, March!

In other news...
I am a little bit ahead of my reading goal of 52 books this year. Truthfully, I don't know if it's a goal. It's probably more of an estimate of what I think I'll read this year. I have really been pleased with returning to reading for enjoyment. For many years I read only for learning or some kind of self-improvement. Reading and enjoying fiction since being retired is a wonderful way to spend a day or evening. Typically, I prefer to read over watching TV. 

I have also been enjoying some one-on-one conversations, lately. I've had three different, purposeful meetings with individuals this week. It is amazing how much wisdom you can gather through understanding someone else's life experiences and how they have handled or even mishandled those events.

Perhaps I should consider spending more time with people.
It is surprising how just typing those words sets off warning bells in my mind. I am at peace in my little world and I tend to be very protective of that peace. I would have to be selective of the people that I would choose to spend time with. I seldom walk away from chance encounters feeling better from the experience, so I am cautious about where I spend my time and energy. 
I also understand and appreciate the privilege I have in being able to choose to be alone and live in peace.

Today's rain won't get me down. Although there is work to be done outside, it is March and such weather is to be expected. Besides, I have flower seeds planted and they need the rain. My bulbs are starting to grow, and the hostas should be emerging soon. Rain is a good thing.

Watch for the constellation Leo the Lion rising in the night sky.
The constellation -- not the weather -- is where the "in like a lion" comes from.

John

It's the little things...

I never really realized how much I miss the little things of summer.
Yesterday it was 60 (15c) degrees here. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day for the second shortest day of the year.

I decided to take advantage of the warm December day and fired up the smoker for some burgers and good quarter pound Angus beef hot dogs. 
I sat in the sun with a bit of bourbon, a good cigar, and played an online game of Wordfeud with my son, Aaron while the burgers and dogs slowly cooked on the smoker.

That was it.
That's all I did yesterday.
And yet I felt like it was a really good day.
Sipping bourbon and smoking a cigar while sitting in the sun doesn't seem like it should be the highlight of any day, but when you live as simply as I do -- well, it sure felt good.

I know that the slow pace of our retired life in the Ozarks of SWMO isn't what most people would consider to be the good life, but it suits us quite nicely. 

     * * * * *

In just a few minutes the sun will reach its southern most point in the earth's annual orbit and we can turn this planet around and begin our journey back towards spring and summer. For those of us living in SWMO, yesterday had just 9 hours, 36 minutes, and 4 seconds of daylight. Today will have 9 hours, 36 minutes, and 3 seconds, while tomorrow will have 9 hours, 36 minutes, and 5 seconds of daylight.

I know.

I'm a nerd for knowing this shit, but I am also amazed by the order of our little corner of the cosmos.

Happy Solstice to anyone that observes the annual event.
Winter is here, but spring is on its way!

John

A Final Summer Meditation

Shortly after 1PM CDT the earth will reach that spot in its annual orbit around the sun that marks the astronomical beginning of fall -- the autumnal equinox.
I guess it is time to break out the flannel shirts, hoodies, and long pants. Fall is here.
The fog is thick this morning and I am a little disappointed that the summer sun didn't make an appearance to say goodbye, but everything goes spinning along as planned. 

This morning I am wondering if the dense fog and not being able to see the field and the trees will help or hinder my meditation. I often begin with eyes open and both seeing and feeling the energy of nature. It is easy to say that the fog makes it so there is nothing to see. 
But what about the fog?

Being in the present this morning means embracing the fog -- seeing it as something other than a damp, oppressive grey thing that overwhelms the morning. This morning's fog is an appropriate beginning to the new season. It is a remnant of last night's rains and it cools the day as it guards against the quick evaporation of the needed moisture of summer's final rain shower. 
I don't know if the fog amplifies the backgrounds sounds or if I am just more aware of them because hearing is the best sense to interpret the world this morning. Background sounds from the nearby highway and even the jet that flew far overhead seem louder today. 
I am aware of the coolness the fog brings to the air as I feel it on my skin and as I breathe it in. 

I typically think of fog being oppressive, but it doesn't feel that way this morning. This morning's fog brings no sense of good nor bad. It isn't depressing nor is it encouraging. It simply exists. Maybe seeing the fog this way is a good lesson in viewing other things that tend to obscure the priorities of life -- identify them for what they are, understand that we are the ones that determine if they are good or bad, helpful or harmful, and allow them to just exist.

Hey, that's not bad for an unplanned meditative learning.

I hope you find peace in your day.

John

It is still summer -- just saying

How can it be September already?
While Labor Day Weekend is an unofficial end of summer and the beginning of football season kind of marks the start of fall -- neither of those things is actually true.
IT'S STILL SUMMER!

In fact, if we're going to use artificial markers for the end of summer/beginning of fall then I say when I've put my lawn mower away for the year marks the end of summer. That won't be until mid October. I'll keep the flannel shirts in the closet and the pumpkin spice on the pantry shelf for a little bit longer. You fall loving people can do whatever you want, but it is always summer in my heart.
For anyone that actually cares -- the astronomical end of summer is on September 22 at 1:19 PM CDT. 

And although it is still growing season in SWMO, I do need to prepare some of my flowers for the coming cold season. I'll be dividing my iris and peony plants and am looking for another place for some hydrangeas. I also need to get some more mulch down in the big flower bed. I'm still figuring out how to best cut back and contain the large Rugosa rose bush.
There is always an unending amount of work to do in the flower gardens. 
If anyone is looking for some hostas to get planted and rooted before winter, let me know. I need to thin mine out -- either now or in the early spring.

This first week of September will be a little cooler than normal, so I should be able to get lots of outdoor work accomplished.

Have a grand week!

John

Summer!

Well, almost.
A little more than an hour past sunset in the Midwest the earth and sun will reach the summer solstice point for the northern hemisphere. That makes this the longest day (daylight) of the year. 

Summer is my season.
I'm not particularly outdoorsy, and I don't do anything special to celebrate or enjoy summer. Mostly I just sit on my butt and enjoy the warm, sunny days. It's weird that I enjoy being outdoors without really doing anything outdoorsy.

I won't lie -- sometimes mowing and caring for our yard and flower beds can be a pain in the arse, but I do love my quiet morning coffee or evening cigar while looking out at this view.

I'll be out watering and weed-eating in a little bit. I am going to try to get work finished in the mornings before it gets too hot. I'm not usually successful because I do enjoy my morning coffee and quiet time a bit too much. 
Enjoy the Summer Solstice.
Enjoy the summer season.

Here's an old favorite of mine to usher in summer.

John

Clear skies for tonight!

I missed a meteor shower  earlier this month due to overcast skies, but it looks like there will be clear skies to view the moon occult Mars early this evening, Most of the US will be able to observe the moon passing in front of Mars tonight. How long the occultation will last will depend on where you are and the effects of lunar parallax. 

You can read about it here for more information and approximate times.

I do love watching the night sky as it changes throughout the year. It is more enjoyable when it isn't so dang cold out. 

John

Celestial Irony

Today is the day that the earth reaches perihelion, the closest point to the sun in its annual orbit. 
From the Greek peri -- meaning near, helion -- meaning son.

It also marks the beginning of some extremely cold weather here in the US Midwest. I suppose we should be glad that we are not faced with the summer heat that our southern hemisphere friends have. It is a good thing that we humans are an adaptable species.

Although we use 24 hour days, the actual time of each day varies slightly as we make our elliptical orbit around our sun. And our earth's spin is slowing down! As the moon orbits the earth, its gravitational pull is actually slowing our rotation. It (the moon) is also inching farther away from the earth.
Science -- it is pretty amazing.

I may check and compare weather conditions for our counterparts on the other side of the globe from time to time. 37 degrees north latitude covers a lot of land and people around the globe, while 37 degrees south latitude touches relatively few. 
The line cuts through Chile and Argentina in South America, is farther south than the entire continent of Africa, just hits the southern most parts of Australia, and runs through the capitol city of New Zealand.

Currently it is about 1:30 on Sunday morning in Melbourne, Australia and 76f (24.4c).
Here it is just 8:30 on Saturday morning and it is just below freezing.
I doubt that Melbourne will be below freezing six months from now on July 4th!

It looks like it will be overcast all day in the Ozarks. In spite of the fact that we are closer to the sun than we will be all year, it doesn't appear that we will get to see it today. Groucho and I will have to count on the fireplace for warmth.

John

Fun Facts for your Friday

Maybe this is what's meant by not seeing the forest for the trees, but on a much grander scale...

At its closest, Uranus is 18.6 AU (Astronomical Unit, the approximate average distance from Earth to the sun) to the planet Earth. 1 AU is about 93 million miles (150 million kilometers) and we found this distant planet before finding an entire continent on our own planet!

     * * * * * 

Here's an interesting map that divides the Earth's population:

I find this truly amazing.
Even being aware of the crowded populations of India and China did not prepare me for this graphic. It's difficult to comprehend.

John

Star gazing

It's just before sunrise and a brisk 45 degrees (7c) out here on the deck. 
Brrrrr....

I was pretty excited to see comet C-2023 last night. If you haven't seen it yet it is still visible in the western sky just after sunset. I started looking for it a little bit too early, when the sky was still too bright with the fading light. I guess I'd suggest about an hour after sunset. The comet is pretty low to the horizon so you won't have a lot of time once the sky is dark enough.

Here's John's quick guide to finding it:
Once nearly all of the sunlight has faded from the horizon, locate Venus. It will be the bright "star" in the western sky. You'll be able to see it well before the sky is completely dark and it might be a good idea to find it early. Once you've found Venus, look to the right (north) about two spread hand's widths and slightly higher -- 2 o'clockish if Venus is the clock center. There you'll find the next brightest stars on the horizon (Arcturus). At the halfway point between Venus and Arcturus is where you'll find the comet. 
The comet and relatively long tail are pretty faint but still visible to the naked eye. The comet will be closest to the horizon and the tail will be up and to the left (11 0'clock).
Good luck!

I also saw a shooter (meteor) last night. We're just after the Taurids and just before the Orionids so you may see a stray while you are star gazing this week. The Orionids peak between midnight and 4 am on Monday morning. The moon will be bright and inhibit viewing but it should still be a good shower.

I hate watching the summer constellations fade and the winter constellations appearing in the night sky. The winter sky is magnificent, but it is often too cold to enjoy. The Scorpion is setting just after sunset and it is taking the Milky Way with it. 
Sacrebleu!
The winter sky points us away from the center of the galaxy and looks to its outer regions. There are bright stars, magnificent constellations, and other galaxies to view in the winter sky. I sometimes think I should get a better telescope than the beginner scope I bought more than three decades ago. The cosmos are simply fascinating to me.
To be honest, I also find the earth and its slowly changing landscape and not so slowly changing atmosphere and climate to be equally as fascinating. I probably should have stayed in school and studied the earth and the cosmos, but then I would have had a very different life and I'm pretty happy with the way this one has turned out, so...
I guess I'll keep reading and learning and simply enjoying life as it is.

Let me know if you see the comet. If you miss it this time around, you can catch it again in about 80,000 years!

John

So long, Summer!

I'm up at sunrise on this last day of summer. sigh
By this time tomorrow morning the sun will have reached the equator in its southward journey and it will be fall in the northern hemisphere. The equinox -- when there is equal night and day at the equator -- is different than the equilux -- when night and day are equal wherever you are. Tomorrow there will be 12 hours and 8 minutes of daylight here in Highlandville MO. Our equilux, where there are 12 hours of both day and night won't occur until Wednesday.

While I may lament the beginning of fall, it isn't like this catches me by surprise or will change my life in any great way. It isn't like I have to build fires earlier or burn more oil in my lanterns. I'll just flip the lights on a little earlier in the evening. Living in rural Missouri doesn't have the active nightlife that life in a city might bring so the only real difference is more dark.
I know that more dark/less light does have an impact on many people. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) can impact physical health as well as mental well-being. I am fortunate that I don't suffer from SAD in any profound ways, but by the midpoint of winter I am truly longing for spring and summer.

Enough with the stuff out of my control!
Something I do have control over is meeting with people. I do manage my people contact pretty well, maybe too well. I am trying to be more purposeful about that and have recently been adding occasional meetings with people. I've always sort of known that men have problems with friendships, but I am just realizing that it is more of a problem for quite a few guys. 

"I don't really have any friends," is a lament I hear quite often. 
Truthfully, I don't either, but I don't know that it's something to lament about. Sure, it would be nice to have a buddy to go watch the fights with, but I'm also okay with watching alone or skipping an event all together. 
I do know a group of young men (40ish) that meet weekly and have developed good friendship bonds in doing so. I've been invited into the group and have gone a few times, but I'm pretty sure I'm more like the age of their dads. It's cool, but the relationships they have between one another is much more organic than one they might have with me.
The thing about this group is that it is quite purposeful. Maybe that's something my generation never really learned. So I'm learning from these young guys.
I doubt that I'm going to ever host a weekly fire pit gathering, but if I meet with a few different men for an occasional coffee/breakfast/lunch/beer/cigar that might be a good thing for me and for them.

I already have a coffee connection for this coming week, so I should be good for the rest of the month. I'll start working on October later.

John

Wednesday Wisdom

This fits, except the talking to the moon part.
Admiring the moon, yes.
Searching the stars, yes.
Talking to myself, probably.

John

Did you know ... ?

Did you know that the June solstice of 2024 is the earliest it has occurred in 228 years? 
The solstice marks the beginning of summer for those of us in the northern hemisphere and hasn't been as early as June 20th since 1796!
Here in the Midwest, the solstice happens at 3:50 this afternoon.

Even as everyone is bracing for a hot summer, I am ready for it. 
Summer is my season.

I'm up early this morning (before 6). I don't know why. I sleep until I'm finished and this morning that was about 5:50. Getting up a little earlier could be to my benefit when it comes to getting some outdoor work finished before it gets too hot. I'm a slow starter in the mornings and it is often 11 o'clock before I'm ready to get started. It might be better to get started on whatever planting/weeding/mowing/trimming/watering needs to be done on a given day before 9 or so. I'll still have my afternoons to sit in the shade of the deck while listening to music, smoking a cigar, and enjoying a cool drink.

Happy summer!

John

The Day After

I really enjoyed yesterday's total eclipse. This was my second time experiencing a total eclipse and I really enjoyed the excitement and emotions of the people around me that had never had that experience before.
It was all pretty cool.

So...
I missed a coming total eclipse in 2026 that will run from the North Pole and down into Northern Spain. That sounds like a good trip. It only touches the tip of Iceland and it might be that Northern Spain will be a better place to find a viewing spot.

Then there is the 2027 total eclipse through Northern Africa, followed by July 2028 in Australia. Australia gets another one in November 2030.
I wonder if I could find a place to stay in Australia.
Hmmm...
Maybe we'll become eclipse chasers.
Maybe not.

Today -- life goes on. 
The moon keeps spinning around the earth.
The earth keeps orbiting around the sun.
The sun keeps moving within our galaxy.
And all of it hurtles through space in a cosmic dance that has been choreographed billions of years ago.
It is pretty mind boggling from my perspective.

Be the light
Not the eclipse

John