🌌 Mystical Musings under the Milky Way
Letter 179: What I learned from looking at stars
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Aloha fellow learn-it-all 👋
Greetings from my beach volleyball-filled Tuesday in Honolulu, Hawaii
I played one of the most fun games of beach volleyball last night. I warmed up and felt loose. My serves went over. I felt a flow with my three other teammates and even got some spikes over. Our communication was clear. The vibes were easy. Damn, it feels good to be in sync with others. Growing up swimming, dancing, sailing, playing piano, and knitting scarves, I’ve always been more of a solo endeavor type of gal. There’s something about team sports that is beautifully grounding and connective.
I tend to struggle with being mediocre at things or doing them just for fun, like I wrote about for why the heck do I surf, so I end up taking sports too seriously. But I think with volleyball, I’m ready to go from a dabbler to an intermediate. Why not right? Maybe it will become more fun. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Now, let’s dive into letter 179 from a learn-it-all. Enjoy!
❓Question to think about
What can I learn from looking up at the stars?
🖊️ Writing
I saw a trail of misty milk overhead. My mouth opened. To my surprise, the night sky was lit up by thousands of little twinkly lights. This magical spectacle left me swooning on a beach on the North Shore of O’ahu.
Rainbow laser beams were coming from the dance circle behind me at the pirate-themed birthday bash. The warm flames coming from tiki torches and fire spinning felt enlivening. As I twirled around, black-tinted sand slid through my toes, leaving a tar-looking residue on my feet from the fire pit. All the energy made my heart swell, and then a cosmic reminder struck me:
I am a miracle made of particles.
It was spooky and surreal – too ethereal for this material world.
I started thinking, “What in my life actually matters?” My human existence is such a small speck of sand in the scope of this solar system that we exist in.
The universe is a vast and mysterious place. My college astronomy class taught me that 95% of the universe is unknown, filled with black matter and dark energy. So apart from 5%, the rest is uncertain and mysterious. Billions of galaxies, each housing billions of stars, make up this cosmic expanse, with our solar system a tiny fragment as one out of eight planets.
I remember my first time witnessing the mystical Milky Way back in January 2016 in Kadavu, Fiji. I let the worry of my blue bulging ankle fall to the wayside and remembered how blessed I was to witness such a sight most people would dream of.
None of life matters all that much. In the grand scheme of things, the probability of life creation is microscopic. I zone into the mundane stresses of everyday life. Like worrying about my hemoglobin being high enough to donate blood or whether my health insurance will cover the X-ray of my right foot that’s probably fractured. Yet, I take my breath for granted. I am alive; none of these small details truly matter in the grand scheme of history.
It’s easy to live in my own solar system because that alone feels chaotic enough with all the spiraling planets.
Why are all these frivolous stresses worthwhile? Why don't I live as fully and abundantly as I can knowing that it will all end someday?
Feeling the insignificance of my existence against the vastness of the universe, a verse from Psalms comes to mind: "Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered — how fleeting my life is. We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing" (Psalm 39:4-6). These words echo the transient nature of life. Amidst the chaos and uncertainties, this biblical wisdom encourages us to cherish each fleeting moment, let go of trivial worries, and embrace the profound beauty of existence.
It is easy to forget that I am a mere spark of energy that plays a small part in something much larger. This realization refocuses on the bigger picture instead of sitting in cloudy overwhelm at the start of something new like a Monday.
Space and time minimize struggles, showing they’re not as bad as they seem. Stargazing helps me see with my own eyes that outer space is grand and the tragedy in my day is small in comparison.
Every moment is a first time, an opportunity to shed burdens, forgive, and live with an open heart. Take a breath and be grateful. Embrace the grandeur of life to make the most of the brief moments. Shed the unnecessary scripts and stories that aren't serving you. Figure out where you feel unfed, and go fill those holes by focusing on your sustenance. Run toward joy. If life isn’t inspiring anymore, resurface your inner child and create new dreams worth chasing.
Like a worm peering from Earth's dirt, the mystical Milky Way offers a magical perspective — zooming out to zoom back in.
🎧 Listening
Aloha Ke Akua by Nahko And Medicine For The People
And what is the purpose?
What is the purpose and would you believe it?Would you believe it if you knew what you were for
And how you became so informed.Bodies of info performing such miracles.
I am a miracle made up of particlesAnd in this existence
I'll stay persistent
And I'll make a difference
And I will have lived it.
🔍Word to define
Ethereal: extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world
Etymology
formerly also etherial, 1510s, "of the highest regions of the atmosphere," from ether + -ial; extended sense of "light, airy" is from 1590s. Figurative meaning "spirit-like, immaterial" is from 1640s. (link)
🌟 Quote to inspire
“Becoming aware of realities greater than ourselves shields us from the illusion of being self-made, being here on this planet by right — expecting everything and owing nothing. The humble person says that life is a gift to be grateful for, not a right to be claimed. Humility ushers in a grateful response to life.” — Robert Emmons
📸 Photo of the Week
Playing dress-up is always fun. I invite you to go look at stars this week and look up at the sky at night :)
🙏Shoutouts
To all the contributors of this piece:
, , , Clare Nwachukwu, Benjamin Hoffman, and Melanie KeathTo honeymooners Nicole and James for their gungho energy on our adventures together climbing Koko head, seeing the USS Arizona, enjoying shave ice, bumping volleyballs, and sailing together :)
I appreciate you reading this!
If ideas resonate, I’d love you to press the heart button, leave a comment, reply to this email, or reach me at vermetjl@gmail.com. If you forgot who I am, I welcome you to my online home.
Never stop learning 😁
Mahalo 🌺
Jen
PS - in case you missed last week’s on one of my favorite journal exercises, check out 📜 Tabula Rasa Reflection: Blank Slate, Bold Life
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