Greetings from the Pale Blue Dot

This has been a summer of saying yes, of trying everything. It's been a time of discovery and learning and appreciation. Of feeling small and inspired and fortunate and healthy.

I ate a beet pizza! And green beans I picked myself. I'm trying all the foods I used to think I didn't like. Some I still don't like but I will try them again until I do. I read (and truly enjoyed!) a book about organic farming. I looked back into time as the first fully restored face of our state capitol building was revealed. I bought some amazing pieces of art from a talented local artist. I started any and all creative projects that piqued my interest. I learned to love blogging again. I asked myself what the future of this blog will be.

And most importantly: I listened, I paid attention. We can never anticipate the moment when a tiny something from somewhere unexpected will have a profound effect on us...on who we are, on who we want to be. Only, if we don't listen, we'll never hear it. If we don't pay attention, we'll never learn from it.

In listening this summer, I remembered to be kind, to care about things I can't see and people I don't know. I realized just how infinitesimally small I am. I found comfort in knowing we are all small together.


"It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known."
― Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space