A couple of months ago, I was enjoying one of our annual, southeastern meteor showers with friends. I was asked, “Why do stars twinkle?” I stumbled over my words, finding fault in what I was trying to say, as I was saying it, as I admittedly do sometimes. Growing up, I was told, “think before you speak, not as you speak.” Suddenly, I caught a twinkling planet out of the corner of my eye, which stopped my blundering explanation. So the very next day, after an extra cup of coffee, I went and scoured through the archives...and “Googled” it.
As it turns out, somewhat to my immediate discouragement, I discovered that it had all been an illusion. Not the part about me being wrong, believe me, there was nothing illusive about that; one has to learn to get used to that, and I’ve managed quite well. What I found was that it wasn’t the stars that twinkled; it was literally the space between us and those celestial bodies that bent the light we saw that made it happen. So I took a long sigh, and with a content smile, I was okay with that knowledge, because even so... they are still beautiful objects of wonder that bring awe, enlightenment and inspiration.
Often in our lives, day in and day out, we find ourselves learning surprising things about what may have seemed so simple before. More often than that, we may take what we think we know for granted and come to consider it as true. The truth may not be as it appears or as distant as you think. The next time we find our minds peering deep into the darkness, seek to find a point of light and focus on it. Hold on to that light, as it is that point in the vast emptiness that draws us nearer to the truth, and in turn, all seems brighter. On the flip side, remember: as our light bends over the miles and miles, we too, from a distance, are all stars.
to your business!