My preschooler son is obsessed with all things outer space right now. He’s watched dozens of YouTube videos over and over and can name all the planets, dwarf planets, moons, stars, etc. We frequently have conversations about UY Scuti, VY Canis Majoris, Aldebaran, Makemake, Io, the fact that Mercury has no moons and Venus is the hottest planet… I’m continually amazed at how much he knows. He is a little sponge, and at age three, he’s already teaching me so much.

I think his fascination with the planets began around the time of the Jupiter-Saturn convergence back in December 2020. For a few days, we watched the two planets appear nearly to touch each other on our evening commute. It was a magical experience to share with my little guy.

One result of his interest in the celestial is that I spend a little more time gazing up at the night sky and contemplating the vastness of it all. In my humble opinion, there’s no better way to regain perspective.

I remember when my sixth grade science class did a unit on outer space. My mind was completely blown by the concept of infinity. I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. I expressed my astonishment in an exchange with my teacher, Mr. Sweger, in the middle of class. “How can space just go on and on forever? It never ends? It’s that big? It has to end somewhere, right? How can there be no end?” “I know! It’s amazing, isn’t it?” he responded, matching my incredulity and excitement. It was tough for him to comprehend, too. Awe-inspiring, and a little bit miraculous.

I’m not a religious person, but it’s hard to think about infinite space and unexplored galaxies and the sheer magnitude of the universe without waxing metaphysical and at least being open to the possibility of the spiritual. At a minimum, there are whole realms that are unknown to us, and quite likely bodies and beings and phenomena that we haven’t even imagined. We humans tend to think we know a lot more than we actually do. There is still so, so much to learn.

When I feel overwhelmed or worried, or when I see myself taking things a little too seriously, I find it helps to look up at the night sky. I am but a minuscule dot on a ball spinning in space, circling one of an unfathomable number of stars. My entire existence is but a tiny blip in infinite, nonlinear time. I might as well be one grain of sand on a hundred-mile coastline, resting briefly in the sun before being swept out to sea again with the tide. How silly it is to worry. To do anything other than enjoy the brief ride would be a waste. And we might as well love each other too, since we’re all on this adventure together, sharing this fleeting moment.

I hope you have an awe-filled week.

–Alexis