There’s Always More to See

The Sea of Tranquility and the Sea of SerenityWatch over us every nightOften illuminatedSometimes sharing in the darkness of our night skyOf course we know they are not what we consider seasThe moon not having water and allBut those large dark spots on the left side of the moonAre reliableAnd I love that noticing them invokes tranquility and serenity in me just by associationThat’s some high quality naming, IMHOWhich is especially important when we see something every single dayWhich is a little bit weirdBecause we’re rotating, the moon is rotating, both of us are spiraling through space chasing the sunAnd yet we see the same view of the moon every nightThe reason is called tidal locking, charmingly demonstrated hereWhich is very common between planets and their larger moonsAnd it has me thinking about familiarityHow we sometimes forget the newness and vibrancy of people we loveBecause we keep seeing the same side of themThere’s more to themTo everyoneSo much more than we can see from any one particular point of viewWhich never shows us the whole picture,And often the habits of exchange we’re in togetherKeep us in a loopWhere we can even forget some of our own finer qualities existMuch less fail to recognize the unseen in anotherToday i came across this image of a side of the earth we do not often seeBecause the earth is a sphere, we’re only seeing about 30% of it from any given angleWhich happens to be about how much of the earth is Pacific OceanFeel how your body receives this image of the earthThe Disney film Lilo & Stitch is actually centered on this view of earthWhere a bureaucrat saw earth from this angleAnd convinced his superiors that earth was a wildlife preserve primarily covered in waterOf course, Stitch landed on Hawaii, right there practically in the centerHijinx ensued.But looking at this image of the Pacific OceanIndeed pacifies me.More great naming.I know that on the side that I can’t see in this pictureAll hell seems to be breaking looseBut this side is big and spaciousAnd every bit as full of life and with it’s own share of dramaAnd I have just about as much control over itAs I do over the other sideAs I do over the far side of the moon(Oh, I know we all think of it as Pink Floyd suggestedBut in truth the far side is not always dark, it’s just not visible to us) (Photo Credits: NASA/NOAA)Which just goes to showThere’s much more to most things than meets the eyeAnd it’s so very worth getting a new perspective on things and peopleRecognizing their valid and true wholeness involves more than we can ever seeAnd far more than our habitual ways of seeingIf I can offer one little practice to anchor today’s musingsTake a breath into your backWe spend so much time focusing on the front of our body and what’s in front of usJust for a breath or two, sense into your back and what’s behind youThough often unsungThere’s a reason it’s called the backboneIt’s support and strength and stabilityIs what all that frontal work depends onProps are due. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fallingtenderly.substack.com