Seize the day

The other night, I was curled up in bed, scrolling through Facebook when I noticed some people trying to round up a group to watch the Blood Moon early the next day. Since I hate early mornings, I wished them well and hoped for their sake that the predicted cloud bank wouldn’t hide her face. Switching off the light, I snuggled in and slept like a proverbial log.

The next morning, at about 5:30am, I heard my cat scratching at the door and staggered out of bed, stiff as an old man. As I was spooning some chicken into her bowl, I figured that since I was up, I should see if I could catch a glimpse of the lunar eclipse. Shivering in the frigid wind, I scanned the sky from east to west for the elusive Moon. Eventually, I spied a rosy orb peeping between the clouds and felt a sense of reverence and wonder.

After a couple of minutes, I ran downstairs and fished out my camera, hoping to capture the Moon in all her finery. To my alarm, she had disappeared again, but moments later, she came into view and relief flooded me. I snapped away, holding my breath so the image wouldn’t blur and thankfully, some of my pictures were clear.

Just as I was about to go inside, a bright light to the top left stole my attention and I wondered whether it was a plane heading straight for me or a meteorite, bent on destruction. Later, I found out that the bright light was Mars, our nearest planetary neighbour, which was at its closest to Earth in fifteen years.  As I uploaded my photos, I realised how lucky I’d been that Sascha, who is now seventeen, insists on having breakfast at 5:30am rather than 6:30am, which would be far more convenient for us.

I also realised that sometimes, you have to seize the moment, no matter how fleeting or inconvenient. This could apply to your writing, getting some exercise when the sun’s shining or even facing that paperwork you’ve been putting off for ages. I’m so glad I was willing to de-cocoon and be part of something that people around the globe payed homage to and certainly didn’t trivialise like me.

I didn’t have a tripod and I didn’t camp out, I just had to roll up the blind, open the door and gaze into the primordial, incomprehensible night sky. Will you seize your moment?