Day 19: Though we are from the earth,

we tend to get a bit Moony, too.

Despite appearances, our nearest friend in space is 221,000 miles away.

          Tonight, astrologists and amateur stargazers alike are in for a treat. According to NASA, the moon will be 30% brighter and 14% bigger than usual this evening, which only occurs once every 18 years. People keep tabs on the moon, and have been doing so for eons. We don't quite know why, but we love the moon and our nights would be lonely and dark without it.  Wolves howl, crickets chirp, people are romantic, and so on. The moon shows up whether or not you remind it to, without being acknowledged or thanked. My relationship with the moon is a lot like that. I don't necessarily keep track of its cycles, but I can subconsciously tell when it is about to change because it affects my mood, the way I interact with others, and my sleeping patterns.

        Night. Darkness. It is such an interesting part of life. Western society tries to dictate that we are inactive at night; to only be productive during the day when the sun can light the earth. But I find the night to be a calming and necessary part of each day's routine. Maybe it is the college student in me saying this, but I appreciate staying up a bit later than I should in order to stay in touch with the night and what it has to offer me. Everything is quiet; a swelling pause from all of the noise and business that is the day. Night is a personal time for many of us; we aren't expected to engage in rigorous conversation or tedious duties. It is the time that leaves us alone with our thoughts; soaking in the events of the day and what it has meant to us, how it has changed or not changed us. We are ourselves to our very core at night; stripped of the masks we wear on a daily basis and apt to expose our true colors.  

       The moon comforts me on nights when I toss and turn for hours, when not one soul is awake to console me and loneliness creeps in. The moon is there when you wake up from a nightmare and need an ounce of reality to prove to you that it was all just a dream. The moon is there as our natural nightlight, even though as adults we are supposed to have outgrown our fear of the dark. As childish as it sounds, I can hardly walk into an unlit room without getting chills on the back of my neck. Thank goodness I can rely on the moon. It is simple; it is sincere. 

          

A night in shining armour.