The Moon Is Following Us

One of the quirks that we Angelenos share is that we tend to refer to our freeways in a slightly different manner than large numbers of the population outside of here.

Examples:

"I was stuck on the 405 for hours" or "Traffic on the 10 westbound is not all that bad."

In my experience other parts of the country generally eliminate using "the" in front of the highway/freeway number. Not that it matters, but this always sounds strange to me.

The setting for this particular post is the 405. In particular the southbound ride from the Valley into the Westside. That is where I was when from the back of the van my son announced "the moon is following us."

It made me smile. The moon holds a special place in my heart because I know that those I love the most share that same moon with me. Even when we are far apart I know that the distance is bridged by that shiny object in the sky.

I tried hard to explain this to my son, but I am not completely sure if my explanation made sense to him. I hope that it did. I love to answer his question about life and the world around him. I love feeding the fire inside him. I love to see that inquisitive look on his face, especially when I see the excitement he holds. It just makes me smile.

And so does the moon. I didn't bullshit him or make up a ridiculous story. I am completely serious about the moon. No matter what country I am in I know that the people I hold in my heart share that moon with me.

I have spent many hours sitting quietly in moonlit fields. It is one of my great pleasures in life to find a place where the city lights do not interfere with the moon. I love lying on my back and looking at a starry sky. I have been fortunate enough to have spent time in places where you are amazed by how many millions of stars you can see.

I'd write more, but before I get to bed I need to go outside and just stare at the sky.