Angel, when she came to us

We live on a wet rock orbiting an aging, yellow star way out on a thin, wispy arm of our galaxy, and even though our planet is positively BULGING with life, we tend to feel lonely when we look at the night sky. Scientists are working tirelessly to find out if we’re really alone, but don’t let that fool you. We’re not; all you have to do is look around.
But I understand what those guys are talking about. The Drake equation assures us there are gobs of planets like ours…well, maybe not EXACTLY like ours…some form of world capable of producing life, but we can’t talk to ooze or slime, or bacteria, or weird other-worldly plants. We need BEINGS, intelligent life forms with feelings and ideas we can share, maybe even discuss.
Some people say we’ve already met them…in a way. Funny-looking things streak through our skies. I know…I’ve seen them, but I haven’t the foggiest what they really are…nobody does. It’s fun to watch stuff on the History Channel, or the Science Channel, or even the SyFy Channel, but they don’t have a clue either.
Let’s see. Some of them think they’re beings from other worlds, but Einstein tells us that’s not likely. Others say they might be us…from the future. Really? Time travel? Hawking seems to think that’s impossible, too. The stolid, clear-thinking group tell us it’s all hallucination…or fanciful witnesses.
Hold it right there, Guys! When I saw whatever they were, I wasn’t under the influence of any mind-altering drug…and I sure as hell didn’t WANT to see them. They scared the crap out of me. At the time, I’d have been far happier if I’d never seen anything like that, but now it’s sort of useful. There’s nothing like incorporating something mysterious, unknown, and completely unexplainable into things you’re writing.
I don’t know what I saw really was, but to tell you the truth, it’s not all that important. Like I said, look around…at things crawling beneath your feet, foraging in forests, soaring through the air, things we take for granted…absolute WONDERS. We have the NOW…and we should make the best of it. The later is for other people.
If we’re wise, we’ll cherish all life. It seems to be pretty rare by cosmologists’ calculations, so welcome dawn when our tired old star comes up, thrill when flights glide below clouds in mid-day air, relish crickets and rain frogs singing in the dark. They’re joyful, noisy, and prolific kinsmen on our ancient, soggy rock…and in our lives.
We live on the thin edge of a cosmic knife, something the dinosaurs leaned the hard way. Out there where we can’t see, gigantic lumps of rock and dirty ice are circling, and eventually, one of them is going to find us. It’s going to be unadulterated hell, but some of us will probably survive…even if most of us don’t. That’s the price of living in an evolving star system, but we’re stuck here. There’s nothing else.
When you look at our big, bright moon, think about it for a second. That’s part of OUR WORLD way up there, so far out it took us thousands of years to visit, the aftermath of a gigantic collision with a rogue planet. That beautiful thing in the night sky is evidence of the most terrifyingly destructive event anyone could possibly imagine.
Then look at what surrounds us down here, trees, flowers, insects, earthworms, fish, cows, snakes, billions of other people…LIFE…everywhere! Birds flock, animals herd, but people think. Don’t let all that thinking get in the way. Even though we live on the sharp edge of a knife, it’s a beautiful edge, a wondrous edge, an edge to savor.
We can’t do anything about whatever the cosmos has planned for us, but we can and should appreciate what we have right here, right now. It waits for us…patiently…until we come to our senses. Do you really think there’s something more wonderful around the bend, something better? How could it possibly top what we already have…and ignore most of the time?
You know, I find that thought immensely comforting, so I think I’m going to take Angel for a walk. We have such a good time sharing the fading brightness, the emerging stars, the birds coming in…the glory of it all. Tail high, running, exploring in the dimming light, sniffing everywhere, coming back to me happy as all getout, she knows the secret. It’s obvious, and we could learn from her. She doesn’t worry about things she can’t control. She just LOVES being alive.

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