my Place in the Universe

Today, I woke up at 12 noon. I slept at 5 am. I hoped to be able to see the Leonid meteor shower in the early hours of the day but really, who was I kidding? I am living in the middle of the city, with all its bright lights and smog.

I had access to three directions of the night sky because my dormitory has lots of big windows. To cut my long, boring waiting story short, I basically divided my time going about the three sides of the building, straining my neck in the process. Needless to say (but I'll say it anyway), I didn't see the meteor shower at its peak. I did see 2 or 3, I think. Hahaha, initially I thought it was only a visual hallucination, especially since I was already getting drowsy. But then, in the middle of a yawn, I saw one. I thought, that can't be a hallucination. :) It's things like this, the little things, that really give me genuine happiness... Really though, this is a big Earth-event that is just an everyday sort of thing in the huge, huge, expanding place that is the Universe. Thank you, Lord, for giving me a chance to occupy even a miniscule area of this Place!


Anyways, I was watching (I still am, actually) CNN while having my brunch and one news was a sort of looking-back story about the Czech Republic. The Czechs are commemorating the 20th year since the victory of the Velvet Revolution (against communism), which happened about a week's time after the fall of the Berliner Mauer. Now I don't claim to be knowledgeable about these past events, but while watching, I realized how blessed I am, even with all that's been happening to me, to be living here, now. I cannot imagine myself in a war, I don't know what I'd do. Perhaps I'd know if I'd be in one, but right now I don't. Wars and revolutions produce heroes out of ordinary men and women, that's for sure.

Oh well. Now that I think about it, it's as hard--perhaps even harder--to live here, now. There are so many different things to keep yourself busy. There are so many temptations. The line between right and wrong is getting more and more indistinct (aaah... that is a subject of debate, but it's your decision, really)...

Today, I am really just grateful.