Shooting Stars

Life is about serendipitous events, unplanned circumstances, and fortuitous meetings. Very few, if any of us, live a life so specific that each step is orchestrated. That’s just how it is. Life unfolds. Things happen. We move forward. Sometimes we struggle, sometimes we are pleasantly surprised, sometimes we are at a standstill, and sometimes our heads spin. Because above all else life is an ever changing moving target.

And this is what has always given me hope. That I’m not in control. That I can still be surprised by things that happen in the most astonishing and miraculous ways. That a fortunate encounter with a total stranger or a sudden chance meeting with an old friend can completely turn my world sideways. Ways that I would never imagine.

This week we finally went camping again. I can’t tell you how much I missed the smell of damp woods and campfires. There’s just something about it that feeds my soul.

Late one evening we took Zoey (our pup) on one last walk. The Sun had set and the stars were coming out as they often do, slowly, like glitter settling on the rounded glass of an upside down globe.

The half Moon barely lit our way, but provided just enough light to let me keep my flashlight in my pocket. I wasn’t paying attention when suddenly I bumped into an older couple who were standing silently on the edge of the road.

“Good evening”, I said a bit startled.

“Good evening”, they replied, “We’re waiting for the meteor shower that’s suppose to happen tonight.”

I looked in the general vicinity of where they seemed to be looking. “Really? What direction is it coming from?”

The man pointed up and said, “Over there in the northeast. It’s a bit early yet I’m afraid, and the Moon is still too bright. Once it sets we should be able to see it.”

“When will the Moon set?”, I asked.

“Around 2 am”, the woman answered.

“Well, I don’t think I’ll be up then, but if for some reason I do wake up I’ll check it out,” I said half jokingly.

“Well, have a good evening”, I said. “I hope you see lots of meteors!”

“You too”, they replied.

And we walked back down the road to our campsite.

Now that chance meeting may not sound like much to you. Nothing really earth shattering by any means. But the thought of this older couple who had been together for years and were still willing to stand in the dark together at the edge of the road in a wooded campground just for the chance of catching a glimpse of a few shooting stars? . . . Well, it stuck with me for some reason.

It made me realize that sharing simple things is what makes life worth living. That sometimes, when the opportunity presents itself, waiting for shooting stars in the dark with the one you love can be the best thing that could possibly happen.