Not-So-Supermoon and Other Disappointing Nature

I’m back. Yes, I guess this makes me a travel blogger. I’m embracing it, and you’re welcome to join me. I’m in England, and I’ve unpacked my bags and am plopping down here for a bit to finish my student teaching.

This is a big week in England. First, and most obvious, they have received me. Additionally, exciting space things have been happening, at least in theory.

I LOVE SPACE THINGS. They don’t even have to be exciting ones. One of the ways Jesus let me actually know for the first time that He is real and loves me is through studying outer space, fifth grade style. It’s all just so impressive to me. I love stargazing. One of my favorite (or should I say favourite) places in the whole wide world is near Lake Monroe – a place where I’ve never seen another person that I didn’t bring with me. I love to climb out of the light pollution of IU’s campus and stare at the stars and trying to find shooting ones. I’ve been known to do this at temperatures down to 30 degrees. Fahrenheit. Because in Celsius, that would be super unimpressive.

I love marveling at the sky any time of day, any configuration of clouds, yelling frequently “LOOK AT THE SKY,” to inevitably hear in return, “Look at which guy?” I even love getting made fun of because apparently I get way too excited about moon halos which are SUPER IMPRESSIVE. I just think it’s cool that out of all things, God chose to make SKY, a monstrous stretch of ever-dynamic artwork that, no matter what we as humans destroy, is still all over the place.

I know you may think it’s cool to be a Debby Downer about Indiana. First of all, it isn’t. Secondly, there are lots of reasons why it isn’t, not least of which being the entirely rad sunrises and sunsets. I have been #blessed to do lots of traveling, and in my travels, I’ve seen a great deal of wonders and beauty. On the flip side, I’ve also seen some very unimpressive sky stuff.

Example 1: I wake up at 4:30 in the morning to watch the “sunrise” on the Charles Bridge in Prague and end up watching the sky turn gradually lighter gray. My least favo(u)rite color at my least favo(u)rite time of day.

My paining collage of a rain cloud.

Example 2: THIS WEEK. Let’s do a walk-through, shall we?

THE “SUPERMOON”: Unlike its close relative, the superstar, this celestial phenomena doesn’t sing or dance, but it does show up in the sky SUPER BIG, and it was supposed to do this last night. But guess what. Too cloudy. Rushed out the back door. Clouds. Rushed out the front door. Clouds. The only thing worse than no stars is no moon.  And the only thing worse than no moon is NO SUPERMOON when you’ve been promised one.

THE “ECLIPSE”: This morning, after reveling in the fact that I’ll see an eclipse (the first of this magnitude in the UK since 1999) while my friends and family at home are asleep in the dark and sitting through videos and DON’T LOOK AT THE SUN speeches with my Year 3 students, the sky got maybe slightly darker. Maybe. Thanks again, clouds.

Student A: It’s the eclipse.

Student B: No, it’s going to rain.

THE “SPRING EQUINOX”: Fine. It’s actually the spring equinox. But I’m bitter, so it gets quotes, too. I had to google what exactly a spring equinox is. I know about the winter one – when you celebrate that it’s only uphill from here, and the summer one – when you celebrate that it’s the longest day of the year and push the fact that it’s only downhill from here deep into the darkest, bitterest corner of your brain with that memory of a missed supermoon during your study abroad. But apparently there’s a spring one, too. It means that day and night are the same length. And honestly, I don’t care. Though maybe I should because that means that we will get more light than dark from here on out. But in comparison to a SUPERMOON and ECLIPSE, this is routine, boring stuff.

So there you go. Your first post in ages, and it’s just little old me, ranting. (Please do know that everything is going well, and I’m enjoying life.)

XOXO,

JPinks