Celestial Celebration

Me and a friend were walking down the University of Washington campus, and it looked like (with the statue of George Washington silhoutted) that we were going to have a pink sunset. Both of us slowed down a little to catch a little more of the sight, but then I saw something that really made me pause.

There was a huge crescent moon in the pink/orang-ing light. It was larger than any moon that I'd thought of ever seeing - and I stopped walking and pointed it out to my friend. She stared at it a while, and then commented that it was moving down. My mind refused to allow for the fact that we were witnessing a partial eclipse, and began asking me why (on earth??) would the moon ever be moving down. And then it (light(n)ing?) struck - that really was the sun??

For the next five minutes I stood by the bridge that would help me cross the main road - making sure that it was really disappearing out of sight, and when the weird crescent sun did drop, I remember feeling pretty tripped out.

That night also happened to be the night the Perseid meteor shower was set to rock the Seattle skies. Summertime in Seattle is really beautiful and (usually) extremely clear. Perfect meteor shower conditions.

I was in car that drove out away from the city, the maddening lights and the maddening crowd, and remember getting more and more excited to actually see a meteor shower for the first time in my life.

I got out of the car, and for the first time in three years, really saw stars the way they're supposed to be seen. The city lights are brutal in flushing out the minute detail of the constellations above, and one forgets how the wonder-center of the brain can be attacked just by looking and thinking about a dark, star lit sky.

All this in three seconds out of the car; no one else had been out - and I still hadn't seen a meteor. And then one struck right across my sight - easily the largest, smoothest one I would see that night. I could tell that I was the only person in our group that saw it.

It was perfect, one streak with impeccable timing from above, a sign that just aligned itself to be just that - I sign for whatever I could wish upon it.

It's mine to be amazed about.