I often feel like I don’t have much to write about, much less something to write about that others will find interesting. I’m hoping to break that pattern this year, but it’s something that has stopped me from joining in conversations online (such as on Bluesky) on more than one occasion. I’m just someone online, after all; why would anyone read what I have to say?
The same is true of other creative activities, too. I’ve got a handful of other projects that I haven’t talked about or shared, or if I have only vaguely. I’d wager it’s a fear of rejection, or something to that effect. If I do it for myself, I can appreciate it, and I don’t have to worry about what anyone else is saying or thinking about it. The only problem is, it’s fun to share things that you create, or find, or just like. Because someone else might enjoy it too.
A couple nights ago, I stepped outside to take some garbage out, and I happened to look up and see a beautiful sky of stars and a nearly full moon right above my house. As many people do, I’m sure, I’ve tried taking pictures of the moon with my phone, but it never works. I have a Canon 60D that’s been sitting around collecting dust, but I almost always forget its there for one reason or another (mostly because it’s bulky and doesn’t fit in my pocket like a phone would). But this time, for whatever reason, I decided to charge up the battery earlier that day.
I run into the house, grab the battery, plug it in, and turn on the camera. Nothing happens. After fumbling with it, I realize there’s no SD card in it, and grab the first one I can find (from a Raspberry Pi that is also collecting dust on a shelf). I plug it in, and the camera turns on. I rush back outside and try to take some shots of the moon through the clouds. After nine photos, I get an “out of memory” error. Of course! I had just used a card that was previously running an operating system, it makes sense that it’s practically full.
Rushing back inside, I grab my Macbook Air to empty the card, but of course it doesn’t have an SD card reader because it’s from 2020 and Apple has courage. I pick up my writing computer, which is a 2013 Macbook Air (running Ubuntu), take off the pictures, and reformat the card. Now free to photograph whatever I want, I run back outside and grab a few more shots, although the clouds had meandered off.
After a bit more photography, my wife comes outside to join me, and we just stand there in the driveway, enjoying the stars above us, naming the ones that we know, feeling connected to the universe around us.
The universe may never know we’re there, but we can still enjoy its beauty in the quiet moments, watching starlight that has taken years to reach us. It doesn’t matter that they’re small, or numerous, or sometimes hard to see. They’re beautiful, and it’s worth slowing down to enjoy them, take them in, and feel connected to something bigger than our world.
I am a programmer and writer. I work as a Senior Software Engineer at Mangomint. Join me as I explore the place where technology and feelings intersect. I write poetry, fiction, and observations of the world around us.