I don’t know about you, but my life is busy. Between work, running errands, taking kids to and from where they need to be, trying to spend time with my family, and squeezing in some sleep now and then, I’m swamped. Lately, especially, I’ve felt like little more than a robot or automaton that is constantly checking off lists of things to get done.
Thankfully, this summer has provided a number of ways to break up the monotony, and in so doing I’ve been able to get my concentration off my to-do list and look at the world around me just a little bit. What I found was (to me) awe-inspiring and also had the effect of making me feel small. Really small. For instance, here is a time-lapse I shot of the milky way a few nights ago while I was on the top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere, ID:
For 45 minutes my camera sat out on a tripod and captured light photons that were emitted from stuff out in space that is so far away from our little blue-green planet it boggles the mind. Other planets, stars, galaxies… the immensity of space that continues on in all directions for infinity… it’s a big place. So big I cannot even comprehend with my puny little human brain.
And yet, it is beautiful – at least to me.
Later, while driving down a mountain I came upon this view:
Again, I’m massively humbled by the incredible beauty of this earth. I’m also grateful I took the time to pause from my busy life to reflect on my place in this universe. Doing so has brought a clarity to my life about what is really important to me. Sure, my to-do list is long and ever-growing, but I think that I’ll spend a lot less time worrying about things I need to do and spend more time with my family and friends enjoying this amazing world.
Leave a Reply