Category: This and that

Looking Up

~ Lenore Diane ~ 2 Comments

 

The position of the sun on Oct. 9th around 1:55 pm EST.

 

As I type, I am watching a live streaming video from the geostationary satellite EchoStar 11. Located along the equator over water to the West of Central America, video from the satellite is available through Dish Network’s Earth station. We don’t have cable or satellite at home, but I am not home. My husband and I went away for the weekend, escaping to the mountains.

And now, my husband has joined me on the couch. We are giddy with the data at our fingertips. We are literally sitting side by side, watching the earth on the TV screen – tracking the progress of the earth’s movement with his laptop and various government websites.

“Hey, Dear! I’m waving! Can you see me?” I say, as I wave to the TV. “Wait. I guess you can’t see me, because I am inside. Do you think if I go outside you could see me?”

“No,” my husband replies. “But, if you go outside and yell, I bet I could hear you.” HA! Oh goodness. I love this man.

We are watching as the sun’s light begins to fully cover this particular part of the world. He’s checking data for the daytime and nighttime skies, excited about what we can see when we look up to the sky. In fact, while the sun shines over head, we just walked out to the deck to find a sliver of the moon and the planet Venus, as the two are slowly setting in the Southern sky. Currently, the moon is in the ‘new moon’ phase, so it is not visible at night. However, because my husband is a celestial geek, he found out where to locate the moon during the daylight hours, prior to it setting with the evening sun.

Though I think it is pretty neat seeing the moon during the day, I think seeing a planet during daylight hours is neater. The planets and stars are always overhead; but with the ‘lights on’, finding the celestial bodies is more difficult. And later tonight, around 8:35 PM EST, we are going to look up at the nighttime sky to watch the Hubble Space Telescope move across above us.

Throughout our years together, Rob and I have watched Muir, the International Space Station (with and without the Space Shuttle attached to it) and several space shuttles fly overhead. I realize I may be boring you with my talk of the moon, satellites, stars and planets. However, during moments like these, I am reminded of the fact my husband is my soul mate.

Back inside watching the Earth channel, I reach over and pat my husband’s hand, telling him I love him. I smile and say, “I find being with you now and exploring the skies more intimate than sex.” He laughs. Then I say, “It’s not as messy either.”

Again, he laughs, and he says, “What do you mean? There are cookies all over the place.” I look at him confused, “We aren’t eating cookies.” He looks at me and smiles, “Internet cookies. They are leaving crumbs all over our computers.” I love this man. I truly love this man. I hear him laughing louder, as he says “We’re also spreading viruses. ITDs.” I look at him, and he continues “Internet transmitted diseases.” Soul mate. He is my soul mate. I love him.

When the heart races

~ Lenore Diane ~ Leave a comment

His name is David. The attraction was clear to everyone around, including the two of us. Though we had just met, the love was undeniable. If the fluttering of the heart and the butterflies in the belly were an indication of a perfect love, we were going to live happily ever after. And, our journey together was going to start after his job interview.

We said our good-byes for the night, and morning came instantly. I walked into the office building, which looked more like an elegant shopping mall decorated with glass and mirror sculptures. Everyone was dressed in blue or black suits. I felt out of place, as I looked down and noticed my pants were too long and I was not wearing shoes. Still, I proceeded to walk to the center of a lobby-like area, finding a seat on a bench. I was to meet David here, prior to his interview.

I waited. Countless people walked through the revolving doors, though David was no where to be seen. I checked my watch. His interview was to begin within the next 10 minutes. I looked at my friend. I saw the concern in his eyes, as he indicated we should head up to the office where the interview was to take place. I heard him say, “I hope he is here.”

My heart sank. Why wouldn’t he be here? I asked myself. Where would he have gone? My friend nudged me, letting me know we had to get to the elevator. When I stood, I realized – again – I had no shoes on my feet. I noticed one shoe next to our bench, and I put the shoe on my foot. I scrambled to find another abandoned shoe, though I was unsuccessful. My friend began running towards the elevator, and I hobbled behind him.

Many people dressed in suits walked onto the elevator with us. My friend pushed the button for the floor we wanted. I looked. The 147th floor? I was afraid of heights – I didn’t like elevators – I did not have a good feeling about this at all.

The elevator started to move – quickly. I closed my eyes and put my head on the shoulder of the person beside me. She jerked her shoulder and scowled at me. Apparently, she didn’t appreciate the head of a stranger on her shoulder. I did my best to hide in the corner, until the elevator stopped and we reached our floor.

My friend and I made our way through the crowded elevator and out the door. We looked around the office, in search of David. We did not see him. We asked the receptionist if she had heard from David. A sad expression came across her face, as she handed me a note.

The note read, “My heart is racing, as I write this note to you. Is yours? I miss you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. But, I’ve flown to Nicaragua.” I stopped reading and felt faint. My friend caught my arm, walked me to a chair and sat me down carefully. I caught my breath and began reading again, “After saying good-bye to you last night, I was overcome with something – I’m not sure what it was. I called my Dad, and I asked him if I could come home. For whatever reason, I need to go home. I will return. I love you. David.”

I dropped the note. My heart was racing, and I was confused. My friend picked up the note, shaking his head as he read it. He didn’t seem surprised. My friend stood up and started walking away. For him, the story ended. I watched as my friend disappeared in the crowded elevator. I sat alone. Lost. Confused. Hurting. And, I started to cry.

I woke up. My heart was still racing, and I felt tears running down my face. Rob walked into the bedroom. “Good morning.” He said with a smile. It was a dream. It was only a dream.

Complete in all respects, but not perfect

~ Lenore Diane ~ Leave a comment

“I messed up again!” Joe whined, as he brushed his piece of paper onto the floor and tossed his crayon. “I can’t draw a tree.”

I picked the piece of paper off the floor and looked at Joe’s rendition. “What’s wrong with this?” I asked him.

“There is more green on one side of the tree than the other.” He said sadly.

My favorite evergreen tree. Perfection in my eyes.“Joe,” I said, “Look outside. See all our trees in the backyard? None of those trees are perfect. Each tree has crooked limbs and missing leaves.”

I got up and walked towards a front window. “Come here, Joe. I want to show you something.”

Joe got up and followed me to the window in our living room. “See this tree?” I asked, while pointing to an evergreen growing next to our house. “See how this tree has branches on one side of it but not the other side?”

I stood there as Joe looked out the window, examining the tree. I could tell he he was getting my message. He walked back to his drawing and finished his apple tree. Pleased with his work, he took the picture to church to give to his friend Sam.

Last week, Rob and I had our first parent/teacher conference with Joe’s Kindergarten teacher. One comment she shared with us pertained to Joe wanting to always be right. She asks Joe to spell words phonically (phonetically?), but Joe balks – wanting to make sure he spells the word correctly.

Though Joe does not strive to be perfect or error- free all of the time, it is clear he does not like making mistakes. Does anyone like making mistakes?

When I made a comment to Joe regarding his picture, I used the word perfect. But, what is perfect? Really. And, is perfection attainable? According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, perfect is “complete in all respects; flawless; excellent as in skill or quality; completely accurate.” If a tree is drawn completely in all respects, does this mean the tree is then perfect? Is it possible for something to be complete in all respects but not completely accurate? The definition of perfect is contradictory to the point that perfection is both easy to attain and impossible to attain.

Wanting to be right and wanting to be perfect are two very different things, yet I believe we use them interchangeably. Joe’s personal take on his drawing was that the tree was not right; it was different. Yet, I took the liberty to use the word ‘perfect’ vs. being right or wrong. When the reality is sometimes different is simply ‘not the same’. And, just as we strive to be perfect or right, many of us also do whatever it is we can to make ourselves stand out from the crowd. We try to be different.

Am I making any sense? I want Joe to strive to be right when it matters. And, being right is important in matters like math and science. But, I don’t want Joe to worry about always being right. I don’t want Joe to worry about always being perfect. And, for the most part, society is reflecting their own personal opinion when the terms right and perfect are used.

Joe's perfect Apple tree.

Generally speaking, we ask ourselves questions like: ‘Does my house look perfect?’ ‘Is my outfit right?’ ‘Is my hair perfect?’ and, ‘Does my family look right?’ And, generally speaking, we get it wrong every time. Just as beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, being right and being perfect is in the eyes of the beholder, too. Joe’s drawing of an apple tree looked right to me. And, in a world of ‘wee-honked’ trees, his drawing was a perfect addition to the mix.

I’ve just made a mountain out of a mole hill, eh? You may be thinking I’ve over-thunk being perfect, being right, being wrong and being different. Yes, well, you may be right. But hey, I’m not perfect.