Something to Think About - Below the Horizon
Below the Horizon
One evening while standing on a trail, I was looking up into the night sky and saw a beautiful full moon. The moon was traveling across the sky East to West, and it was just above the horizon.
With my headlamp on, I was looking down at my camera trying to adjust the settings to be able to take a better picture of the moon. I’m still learning the setting details of my camera and lens. Photographing in low light of the night sky and the bright moon can be challenging. I took my eyes off the sky and the moon. It must have been quite some time, but I didn't realize it.
When I looked up to take the picture of the moon, it was gone. I could have sworn I saw the moon. But it wasn't there. I walked around thinking maybe the trees were blocking it. But it wasn't behind the trees, it wasn't anywhere. And I was puzzled for a moment. The moon was gone. Where did it go?
I looked at my app on the smartphone for the night sky to find out what position the moon was at this moment.
The moon was below the horizon from where I was standing. The moon fell below horizon and that's why it wasn't visible anymore. But how much time had gone by? When I was fiddling with my camera settings, I missed it. I missed the shot. I was so disappointed. I didn't realize how much time had gone by.
When the moon disappeared below the horizon, it made me realize how precious time can be. Every moment counts, every minute counts, every second counts. I think it was only a few minutes when I was fiddling with my camera and gradually the moon was moving closer and closer towards horizon and then it disappeared. I missed those very precious few minutes.
Time has a way of escaping you. Time doesn't stop. The moon doesn't stop for you to take a picture of it. The moon keeps doing what it does. Life keeps doing what it does. You can't stop things from happening, or things from going on. Life goes on.
Some things you can stop, turn back, or redo over again.
For an athlete, time to the second is important. When practicing, you can reset the stopwatch and try again. You can't take away a second, you can't add a second to win or to lose in a competition.
When you bake a cake, you can add an extra ten minutes if it's not quite done yet, thus adding time to it. But if the cake is left in the oven too long, maybe ten minutes too long, then it's too late, the cake is dry and over baked. If you bake the cake and it overcooks, well then, you can start over again and bake another cake.
A flower blooms and you cut it to put it in your vase with some water, it's lasts a little while in the vase. If you cut a flower when the bud is just opening and you want to save it for a special day, a few days later, then you put the flower in the refrigerator to slow it down and keep it from blooming and opening fully. It's a way to hold on to time before it fully blooms. You make the time longer for it to bloom.
When we have our daylight savings time, we turn our clocks back one hour, and we turn our clocks forward one hour. But we really don't gain an hour in our life, and we don't lose an hour in our day. It's an illusion of giving us an extra hour in our life or losing an hour for the day.
When the moon went down, below the horizon, I wanted that time back. I wanted to bring that moon back up to where it was like you do on a clock, turn the hand back, turn the hand back a few minutes so can I take a picture of the moon.
It made me realize there are things in life that you just can't turn back time, make it go forward, nor hold onto it. It is not within our control. I'll have to wait until the next full moon, and I'll be prepared for it when it occurs.
Time is precious.
When time escapes you, you want to get it back somehow, you want to make up for it.
Time is important.
Pay attention to the time passing.
As time is passing…..
….Tell your loved ones, that you love them. Let them know you love them.
….The things you DO that take up your valuable TIME, make sure they are relevant and IMPORTANT to YOU.
….Do important things that provide happiness, peace, and love for yourself…and for others too.
Time is escaping and continuing on.
Make it happen…
Do whatever it takes…
That gives you joy and happiness.
