13 July 2008

A Second Look

There are times when I am at sea I go outside for some fresh air in the evening. When the moon is not out, you can hardly see your hand in front of your face. Some people don't stay outside long enough for their eyes to adjust to the darkness. They miss out on the remarkable celestial show you get when out on the ocean. The entire horizon is uncluttered by land, nothing to block your view. 360 degrees of star gazing pleasure. The first time I waited outside long enough to see "all" the stars, I couldn't beleive my eyes. Constellations you've seen in books, are clear clear as "day". You can actually see the milk of the milky way with out a telescope.
I often wonder, how many times we see something initially, and don't bother to wait and give it a seoond look. It's not dazzling to our senses, it doesn't automatically catch our interest, and so we find it boring and not of use. There are times when I've seen something a million times, and suddenly realize that I haven't been seeing the whole picture. Of course looking twice can also find the ugliness of something as well. Like looking at what you always thought was a pot of gold, and finding out that what is actually there is a pot of..well crap.