Yesterday I got a touch distracted and couldn't really concentrate on one thing or another so I took to Facebook for a minute and read the news feed of friends, acquaintances and other. We all have a collective 'other’. I found myself balking at a post saying something along the lines of "Help a man when he's down and don't step over him...."It was a little more poetic. The person who posted this altruistic slogan, had, not a day before been bitching and whining about someone who is actually going through a tough time. Hold on? But you just posted that... Oh wait, you didn't REALLY mean it? Gosh, I nearly bought into the misconception that you gave a shit about people. That's what made me balk and had me on the verge of becoming atrocious so I moved swiftly on to a music video someone had posted and then on to You Tube where I clicked on other tempting videos that taunted me on the side panel. I eventually came to a space video. I really don’t know how that happened.
I am captivated by space. When I was younger I'd lie in bed transfixed by those glow-in-the-dark stars that you stick to the ceiling, you know, the ones that fall off onto your face in the wee hours making your dreamy state believe that you are being eaten alive by arachnids. Obviously, they had to go.
I'd lie there imagining the planets and stars, galaxies and space and think where does it end?
Well it doesn't end, it goes on forever.
Or does it?
If it does what's after that?
Nothingness.
Well what's nothingness?
Nothing has to be something doesn’t it?
Suffice to say I would drive myself bonkers. It both intrigues and terrifies together.
The biggest known star (I believe) is called VY Canis Majoris which has a diameter of 2.800.000.000 km. I know, that’s not even a number- it’s a noise. A passenger jet travelling at 900 km/h would take 1100 years to get around it. You can get around ours in 24 hours. It starts to put things into perspective for me like how small our world is; how tiny you and I really are. Insignificant really. So why worry about peoples petty foibles, whether or not I can afford to go to Bora Bora, who’s got what and who hasn’t and so on. In the grand scheme of things all that anybody wants is to give love, be loved, be healthy and have FUN along the way. The rest is just background noise. Sometimes distractions can prove to be most useful. As my good friend told me yesterday " Don't let it harsh your mellow"
For anyone getting too ugly for their Uggs - I leave you with this:
