moon musings

Full moon

A glimpse of the moon felt like a surprise when I was a child.

I didn’t realize she had a waxing and waning rhythm. I stayed up late almost every night to catch a look at her in the sky. My young mind couldn’t grasp that the moon’s appearance was following a predictable plan, so I waited up in hopes I would see a moon appear. I hoped I’d be lucky enough to see her any given night.

I was so far removed from the rhythms of nature as a kid. My life revolved around other people’s schedules, school, dance class, which babysitter was coming by, and with which parent I would spend the evening or weekend.

Beginning at 8 years old I used to read my horoscope in the newspaper. I’d read my mom’s out loud to her sometimes. It was on the same page as the baseball scores, which I always checked - in order to have something to tell my dad when he called. I don’t even think he liked baseball all that much, but he only had an AM radio in his car, so we listened to the Tigers play on our way down to the marina on days we were with him.

I learned about constellations from late nights anchored out in Lake Huron or by looking in the sky fireside at Girl Scout camp, but nobody thought to explain the moon to me. I didn’t know to ask.

I didn’t really understand about the phases of the moon until I was an adult. A man I dated briefly in my twenties told me I was the moon to him. It sounded like a lovely compliment, so I looked up as much as I could.

That’s when I started paying more attention to her comings and goings. Making plans to try stargazing on a new moon night, and stay up late to bask in her glow on a full moon night. Just the moon and me.

I learned I could count on her. Little me would have appreciated understanding more about the moon, if only for the comfort of her predictability.

My youngest daughter (Ella,14) took this photo last night. We ran up to the roof as soon as the sky was dark. I’ve made it a priority to give her the moon from a very young age.

Do you pay attention to moon phases, even loosely?

Have you always known about the moon and her gentle cycle?

Or like me, did you cross your fingers and hope that maybe tonight she’d appear in the sky?