Have you ever had a day when things didn’t quite measure up? I’m not a stargazer and I have no active interest in astrology. When we lived in West Texas, I loved looking at the stars at night. Truthfully, I thought things looked better under starlight than at high noon. How could you argue with that? Even the Hilton had a billboard that read, “People Keep Coming Back – It ain’t for the view.” The stars are “big and bright” under a West Texas sky.
When friends from Austin come to visit us in the evening, they often comment on how bright and magnificent the stars appear. Somehow in the midst of “Keep Austin Weird”, the stars don’t appear nearly as bright in town. On our edge of heaven, you can count on the stars being spectacular. Of course, that’s truer looking out from our front yard than from the back. Sometimes the lights from the ballpark temporarily negate the ability to give full attention to the splendor of the heavens.
Thinking of stars takes me back to the lyrics of Perry Como singing, “Catch a Falling Star.”
“Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket
Never let it fade away
Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket
Save it for a rainy day
For love may come and tap you on the shoulder some starless night
Just in case you feel you want to hold her
You’ll have a pocketful of starlight
Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket
Never let it fade away
Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket
Save it for a rainy day”
At times I also give myself permission to howl at the moon when it is full. I know what you’re thinking and you’re probably right. “Giving myself permission” isn’t part of the equation. It is more likely an involuntary response. After all some folks associate my behavior to their expectations related to the anticipated behavior of a lunatic.
I like the moonlight. I remember as a small child traveling with my family and maternal grandparents somewhere at night. I was seated in the back seat next to my Grandma. She pointed out the moon and taught me the lyrics, “I see the moon and the moon sees me. God made the moon and God made me.” I was probably three to four years old at the time. Thinking of the memory puts a smile on my face and a sense of joy in my heart.
Other than enjoying the moon and stars for their beauty, I don’t subscribe to the notion that much can be learned or predicted from their observations. Unlike some, I don’t subscribe to the theory of things breaking, telephone service failing, computers locking up or any number of other negative happenings simply because Mercury is in retrograde.
Reportedly there are about three times a year for approximately a three week period that it appears the planet Mercury is going backwards. Of course, that’s really not the case. It is an optical illusion. Illusion or not, some folks maintain that things can easily fall apart when Mercury is in retrograde. Delays and frustrations abound.
I asked it earlier. Let me ask it again. Have you ever had a day when things didn’t quite measure up? Yesterday was one of those days for me. It was like two steps forward-one step back all day long. I was aware of the perception all day long, but throughout the day, I really didn’t identify the source. I guess there are some days where, “If it can go wrong, it will.”
As I was traveling home from work yesterday, I made a mental note to select the restart button when I got home. It had been a frustrating day at work and I really couldn’t identify the key causes. I do know that I didn’t accomplish half of the things on my “To Do List”. It was a Monday I will remember and the memories are not necessarily associated with productivity.
For one thing, there was a problem with how things appeared on my computer screen. The display was highlighting the spaces between words and noting the paragraphs. After an extensive search, I finally found the icon to click on to discontinue that display. Did I mention that clicking on the icon did nothing to alter what I was seeing on the computer screen?
It was Monday all day long. I spent most of the weekend wanting answers that are yet still not apparent. Some might question the validity of even asking the questions, but they continue to permeate my thoughts. Maybe today I will finally have the answers to my questions.
At any rate, I walked into the house with the intent of erasing the past and starting fresh on the day. No such luck! Before I was fully in the door, the Honorary General confessed that she was making copies of something on the computer and the printer jammed.
I know what you’re thinking and you’re right. A two-word expression came out of my mouth. There are several different ways to articulate the expression and doing so can render a totally different meaning. The two-word expression is, “Oh great!”
It didn’t take me long to concur with the Honorary General’s observation. The printer was jammed and my fat fingers weren’t going to be particularly helpful in resolving the problem. Like Sgt. Joe Friday on Dragnet, I was intent on solving the problem. Always have been. However, at some level I wanted to announce, “Sorry! This is Joe’s day off.”
Of course, the Honorary General would have looked at me like I was a lunatic. Only I would have understood the symbolism. I did eventually solve the problem, but I had to watch two different episodes of YouTube to figure out how to achieve my objective.
Just for the record, I did check. Mercury is currently in retrograde and has been since May 18th. Reportedly, it will be out of the retrograde cycle on June 11.
All My Best!
Don
Carpe Diem 