Reflection: The Moon and Sun

I watched the beauty of this morning’s moonshine, clutching my sweater. It’s strange because we associate the morning with the sun and the night with the moon. I stood before my tent to fill my lungs with the purest air and see the sunrise. This quiet time was disturbed by passing aircraft gliding up the skies. I felt like deja vu because several aircraft passed the same air route. The clouds were blue, safe from the whitish trail left behind by passing aircraft. Birds were already awake, and their songs were always eloquent. My critter nurseries were nowhere to be found. Funny enough, I heard their tapping footsteps on my wooden tent deck late into the night. They must have had a long night, or the chill morning air kept them lazy and glued to their grassy beds. I heard the resident owl’s soft hooting somewhere in the treelines. The oak trees forming an irregular rectangle line stood a look away, like sentinels guarding the small community. The tree leaves struggle in the morning element, dancing to their heartfelt song only they can hear. Their branches are like the arms of masquerades, pointing to different locations. It’s chilly, and I have no one to blame but the moon.

I count myself lucky to live in this beautiful landscape. I like that I don’t have to have life as fast-paced as it is in the cities and can pay more attention to nature. My tent sits a few seconds away from magnificent views. I am closer to the wild every time I hear the birds or quadruplets. I listened to the coyotes yelping on my first night in the tent. Being my first time, it was scary. I could mistake them for wolves. However, night after night, I got used to it. Hearing the coyotes and the owls simultaneously in the early morning is strange. Sometime last week, during the evening, I saw a lone coyote near the treeline. I think that there is a coyote den nearby. The bush behind my tent is a hub of activities. I can’t count how often the birds came into my tent, stayed a bit, picked pieces of food from the tent floor, and flew off. A squirrel always climbs the office window at noontime to investigate the office. I see it sniff the air and wonder what is going on in its mind. A lone bobcat hunts around the campus, and a black salamander is seen crawling out of a ground hole. Of course, I encounter bugs, spiders, ants, and many other insects. I find the flies most annoying because they follow me everywhere.

In no time, the chilly morning gave way to the hot sun. The moon stayed a while, even when the sun came out. The two entities appeared with their elements: the moon with the chilly air and the sun with the fiery heat. I thought about the classical anecdote about two people/entities existing simultaneously without dimming each other’s lights. Even the moon and sun can share and get along, haha. I hear the moon say to the sun: ‘No need to fight, no need for drama, just shine on over there, and I do the same over here.’ Tolerance is crucial to growth. I hope the world can find a way to live together, to shine together. Living on a mountain can teach one a lot. It also offers a great experience. However, all of nature’s elements can be at their worst here. It can get boiling during the day, and it can get freezing at night. It’s a given. So, ladies and lads, get your hats for the morning! Get your blankets ready for the night!

Reflecting on this morning’s experience, I realized the need to consider the times and seasons. I want to be aware of the happenings around my environment and appreciate the beauty many have taken for granted. I have learned to take the time to look up at the skies, sniff the fresh air and the smell of freshly cut grass, and forget everything else and live in the moment. I want to live a second at a time, appreciate the flowers that grow by the roadside or the squirrel that checks on me in the office. I understand the birds singing me a lullaby and playing around my tent. I appreciate the moon that keeps the path and fields lighted at night and the sun that wakes during the day to continue from where the moon stopped—little things such as gratitude can matter. I don’t want to get used to it. I will never get used to it.

Good night my friends.