Gazing at the Heavens

One of the things I absolutely love about where I am in Afghanistan are the clear skies. On a moonless night, you can see more stars than you ever thought existed. The first time I noticed, my breath was taken away, and that novelty has not worn much in the past few months. The other day as I was gazing at the stars I noticed a shooting star. Then another. Then another, and another, until in a little over an hour I had seen ten shooting stars, in all directions. It made me think of a joke, which goes like this:
A man was speaking with God and God said ask me any question you want. After a minute of thinking, the man looked to God and said, "God, what is a million years to you?" God replied "My son, a million years is but a mere second." After a few moments of contemplation, the man looked to God again and said "What is a million dollars to you?" God replied "Son, a million dollars is but a mere cent to me." Silent for a few minutes, the man looked to God and said "God, can I have a penny?" God replied "Wait a second..."

This joke points out a few things: time and monetary items are immaterial in the grand scheme of life. Our lives are just like those of the shooting star. Some are bright, full of happiness and joy, while others are dull and barely noticeable. But if you blink, they're both gone. So how do I make the most out of my blink of an eye? I try to change what will come after me. I will teach my son my values, my morals. My childhood was not the easiest, but without it, I would not be where I am today. Those experiences have taught me to be wise beyond my years. Heaven forbid that my son ever have to experience what I have, but hopefully, I can teach him those values and morals in other ways. Just some food for thought, all...