Me and My Sky

On By Lady GIn Spirit
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Photo by Viktor Hanacek

Growing up, I was the little girl who always looked upward. I would stare at the night sky for hours and imagine myself sitting on a star looking back down at Earth. On crisp fall and winter nights I would seat myself on my “tree bench” so that I could get a better look at the moon. By the way, in case you are wondering, I had a “tree bench” because my dad didn’t have the time or the money to build a tree house, so he nailed two 2 X 4 wood boards crosswise on a branch for me to sit on as I gazed at the sky.  Anyway, to say that I was obsessed with all things celestial would be putting it lightly.

As I recollect memories about my interest in the sky, I can’t help remembering the time that my mother’s friend pointed her finger and said “Gwin, do you see the Big Dipper?” I recall looking up and immediately feeling transfixed!  I mean, I was totally gripped!  You see, at that point in time, I had no idea that the stars could configure various forms and shapes. This was a huge revelation for me!   At any rate, that night, mom’s friend continued to “school me” by pointing to the “Little Dipper,” Orion and the North Star. In addition, she told me that our black ancestors had used the North Star as a guide to freedom from slavery. Believe me, from that night on, I was an official sky gazer.

As a sky gazer, my first order of business was to find other people to join me in my endeavor. I knew not to ask my mom.  God love her but she couldn’t have cared less about what was going on in the sky. And although my dad liked that kind of thing, he was too busy working.  So, my only other option was to ask my baby brother. Frankly, finding him was the hardest part; this kid never liked to stay home.  He was always gone somewhere else! That aside, I was eventually able to pin him down.  I did this by convincing him that we could watch “satellites” travel across the sky. Now a Rocket Scientist might say that it was impossible for us to watch or track satellites with the naked eye.  My response to that is “whatever!”  All I know is that we observed heavenly bodies travel across the sky in a predictable pattern and concluded that they were satellites. That said; Mr. Rocket Scientist, please do not waste your time trying to convince me otherwise, I simply cannot be bothered with technical details, inaccuracies and probabilities. Furthermore, if these objects were not really satellites then they must have been extraterrestrials–which certainly makes this story all the more interesting-don’t you think? End of rant 🙂

I am proud to report that my love affair with the sky continues.  In fact, it’s not unusual to find me taking long nighttime treks. Quite frankly, I find these walks to be very meditative. I have worked out countless problems while looking at the sky.  In addition, I find that my children and I have much more open conversations whenever we walk on a starry night.

Clearly, I’ve been admiring the sky for a long time and I am sure that I will continue to admire it until my spirit decides to join with it 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

30 thoughts on “Me and My Sky”

  1. I LOOOOVE stargazing! It is like the most peaceful thing to do. And forget them rocket scientist, the Dogon people were able to see everything in the skies without any “technology”. I have been telling myself for years to get a telescope and I still haven’t. I have to put that on my to-do list.

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  3. Fall upward into the sky bowl. Feel the inevitable one-ness. *thoughts from my childhood and adulthood for that matter* ✨ Once again, there is common ground between us. The stars … YAAAASSSSSSS! 🌹 You have an uncanny nack toward bringing each of us into your mind, the place where the sweetest essence of you lives. You leave a sense that we may sit out on the porch swing and talk of all things. You are a healer with words. It is good.

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  5. I love your reblogs! It helps me catch up on what I may have missed! Hope you feel better!!
    BTW, growing up in Arizona, I was a star gazer as well, but unfortunately I’m not so sure my child knows what the stars even look like, growing up in Seattle and all! I was so bummed to have missed the super-super moon!! 😀

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  6. Hi Lady G! You know I am a fellow star gazer as well. When I was a kid I was obsessed with space and the planets. My parents got me a cheap telescope but I used to look at the moon and wonder if someday we could build a base on there like Space 1999.
    Of course, Star Trek was a big influence on me. I always wanted to travel to another world. Maybe to escape the one I was in or maybe for the adventure I would have in a different place. Orion has always captivated me. On a clear night, I will always look for his belt. Apparently the Egyptians built the pyramids to coincide with the constellation. BTW, on a clear night this month, you should be able to observe Mercury, Venus and Mars in the sky. I will be looking up as well. Great post!

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    1. I am all about it girl! And I had that same little telescope! LOL!!
      You can’t imagine how many times I’ve looked to Orion for inspiration and awe. What’s funny is that I’ve always loved looking at the sky but I’ve never really been much of a Star Trek fan; I’d watch just long enough to hear the theme song “AHHHHH AH AHHHHHHHH…” then I’d turn!
      Crazy huh!
      Ron’s a fan!
      I think I figured it out though. I wanted to be in space but I didn’t want to go through the travel there–LOL!!!!
      Thanks for the planet info! I will be watching 🙂

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  7. Reblogged this on seekthebestblog and commented:

    Lady G has a cold!
    Hence, all the reblogs!

    Today, I’m sharing more about my obsession with sky gazing 🙂

    Ah, but I promise to bring something new for you on “The Flowering Vine” tomorrow!

    Love you guys! Have a magnificent day! 😘💋

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  10. OK, I’m feeling decidedly uneducated and out of my depth here. I think I am too “grounded” love everything terrestial – mountains, forest. I like sea gazing – that’s where I find my peace – my soul.

    I’m a city girl – not many stars to be seen here and as for walking at night – you don’t do that around here if you want to keep safe. But I will say that on one of our family holidays, we stayed at a lodge in the Karoo here in SA – it’s a semi-desert area and that’s where you get to truly see and appreciate the stars. But I’m cool with that. You sound unique Lady G. Btw, I didn’t need a tree house – I just loved climbing trees as a child. Know from a tender age that I wanted to see the bigger picture, get the helicopter view . So climbing to the highest branch and singing for the whole neighbohood while up there, was my favorite past time 😀😀

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    1. Wow! I can just imagine you up in that tree serenading the entire neighborhood! What a magnificent image that is! You too sound unique my dear Chevvy, in fact, I know that you are unique! Thanks for taking time to read about me and my sky.

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      1. It’s great getting to know you. Yes, I guess in was in those days at the top of those trees that I became a dreamer and saw the possibilities of rising above my context – in fact, I think I’ll write a poem on that – rising above context:-)

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  12. Hello All,

    This is a comment from my Dad:

    “Very good Gwin…if anyone says you can’t see a sattelite moving slowly across the night sky tell them to ask Me…I’ve been watching them since sputnik days…..they differ from a airplane because their light dont blink on and off….Dad”

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