Only a Full Moon
As I watched the full moon rise on the eve of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the eleventh year of this century, I became captivated. There were no other celestial bodies obscuring its prominence. Not a single cloud dared to shroud it from view. It was a bright, orangey-yellow globe, floating majestically in a dark sky and gradually rising higher and higher above the horizon. I stood still, filled with awe, and observed in silence until the chilly night air forced me to continue walking.
There was no need to use my flashlight, and I could easily see animals moving amongst the trees, shrubs, and tall grasses. When I stopped in front of my house to gaze into the sky and marvel at the moon one last time, a young man walking by stopped and stared into the sky where I was looking. After a brief moment, he asked me what I was watching. When I indicated the moon, he exclaimed, "It'’s only a full moon! I thought you had spotted something cool."Having thus determined me to be a lunatic, he continued walking down the street.
Yes, I thought sarcastically, it's only a full moon - one of twelve we'll have this year. Then, I went inside and turned on my computer. A quick internet search revealed that the regular moons have all been named, while Blue Moons occur every 2.7 years. This mid-fall moon has been called Hunter's Moon, Beaver Moon, Frost Moon, and even Snow Moon; but I decided a better name might be Centurion Moon. It was, after all, a commanding and auspicious guardian watching over us on this once-in-a-century repunit palindrome day.
Some folks, no doubt, thought the full moon was romantic as they swooned into the arms of their sweethearts. Others probably thought it was annoying as they tried to fall asleep. Those, like me, thought it worthy of respect and gratitude. Yet the majority, I fear, were just like the young man who passed me on the way home. To them, it was only a full moon.
- Have you ever been awestruck?
- What does it take to catch your attention in that way?
- Can it be a regularly occurring phenomenon, or must it be “something cool”?
- What can you do to avoid paralysis and apathy?