Man in the Moon

I looked up and saw the man in the moon and he was looking back at me. His gaze was steady and calm. His luminescent aura in the nighttime sky caused a gentle peace to permeate my being. I thought about this earth and how it must look from that privileged vantage point. I have seen the pictures from space missions, satellites and telescopes that show the earth as a blue dot or a brilliant cloud covered orb. While beautiful and awe inspiring, those photos lack a personal connection like the one I felt with the man in the moon and sensing that he was watching over us all, not just looking, but watching.

I wondered what he sees and what he knows. Does the man in the moon observe from on high and monitor life on a global scale? He might measure the oceans and the polar ice caps. He could watch as violent storms form and batter a helpless earth. Of course he could watch the seasons come and go with the snowy blanket of winter, the greens of spring and summer and the myriad colors of autumn. On that massive scale the earth is nature and geology, a beautiful work in constant states of flux and change.

Does the man in the moon see the struggles and triumphs of earth's people? If he works like a spy satellite he can watch troop movements of all of the nations' armies. He can see the protesters in the street.  He can monitor the regions of bounty where farmland extends as far as the eye can see and check in on drought conditions where others suffer and hope and pray for relief. And imagine his view of giant sporting competitions like the Olympics and the World Cup as people from all nations gather in hopes of greater unity.

While I would love the view, I would not choose to be the man in the moon if that was all I could see. An expansive view is nice to get a general idea of a place, but to know a place you have to know its people. When I travel and see different countries and regions I don't feel like I know a place until I know its people. I really like to be able to walk into a restaurant in a foreign land and have the owner realize that strangers have entered. Then I know I have found a spot where the people know each other and it makes me want to get to know them.

In all of my travel and all of the monuments and landmarks I have seen, there is nothing that compares to the formation of a new friendship with someone who was once unknown. The closest thing is the return trip that leads to a reunion with a friend already made. Those relationships endure beyond the strains and limits of any time and distance. Tonight, I made that journey with the man in the moon.