Over the last few days, I’ve been meeting a lot of different people from different places and different backgrounds. As I learn about their lives and origins, I can’t help but marvel at the tapestry of diverse realities that each one of us inhabits - our homes, our loved ones, our experiences.
But in spite of all our differences, what strikes me the most is all the similarities I’ve found - how everyone I’ve met is a hopeful, kind, good human being. How everyone has a vision for a bright and positive future.
I was actually out of ideas about what to write in today’s Hello Universe, and I asked one of my new friends what I should write about. She gave me the prompt that you see in the title - “Stardust”. As I walked home and looked up at the stars in the night sky, it felt just right - after all, dear reader, the biggest similarity that you, me, that all of us have is that we are made of stardust. So that’s what today’s poem is about.
Alright, poem starts in 3… 2… 1!
Turns out if you go super far back in time, you'll find out a truth - exquisite and divine. That everything used to be made up of stars, from houses to fountains to beaches to cars. The Grand Canyon's vastness, that great rocky smile, was once part of stars that just drifted a while. Or Berlin's tall tower, its glass and its light, was borrowed from stars that exploded one night! Your grandmother's family recipe book, the ducks in the pond by that path that we took, the clouds that make shapes (is that one a giraffe?), were all once a star that split clean right in half! The rocks in your garden, your neighbor's new fence, the thoughts that you think when things make not much sense. The notebook you're holding, the kite that you fly, were all at some point in a star nearby! The grasshopper's bounce and the elephant's stomp, the king on his throne and the kid in the swamp. Yourself, and myself, and each self on this train, all started as stars, oh, is that not insane? "But wait!" you might say, "That's a mighty big leap! From stars to my snowcone? That logic seems cheap!" But physics assures us it's perfectly true: all atoms were forged in a hot stellar brew! So next time you're feeling not special at all, remember - you're made of the same stuff that falls from galaxies spinning in infinite space. Shine bright even in all your darkest of days. (P.S. - if you still doubt this cosmic connection, just look in the mirror for star-stuff reflection. That sparkle you see in your own shining eyes? It's stars winking at you from up in the skies!) 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
That’s it! Thanks for reading edition 198 of Hello Universe. Check out Some Fun Stuff below.
I’m curious to know - what do you think about when you look up at the sky and see the stars?
Leave a comment and share your thoughts with the Hello Universe community.
Some Fun Stuff
This is where I share something cool to read, something cool to listen to, and something cool to watch. The underlined words are links that you can click to visit the recommended content.
1. Paint your masterpiece on jacksonpollock.org: It’s time to unleash your inner artist. If you end up making one on this, send me an email with the picture, I’d love to see it! Here’s mine:
2. Listen to The Zephyr Song by Red Hot Chili Peppers: You know from my earlier writing that RHCP is my favorite band. I’ve just been listening to them a lot lately, so this is the vibe. One of their best songs in my opinion, the vocal harmonies are out of this world. Check it out!
3. Watch this short video I made about my favorite festival: Today is January 14th, which is celebrated as the kite flying festival back in my home town. It is my favorite festival in the whole wide world, and this is my second year in a row missing it 🥲.
So here’s a poem and video I made 2 years ago when I last got to celebrate it. Watching these memories brought a smile to my face, and I hope it cheers you up too!
Alright, that’s it for this week, see you next Tuesday!
Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are? Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky...." I learned this as a child. It was written by Jane Taylor in 1806 and was in a collection "Rhymes for the Nursery." I loved looking at the stars at night...and remember :When you Wish Upon a Star makes no difference who you are. Anything your heart desires will come to you,,,," I heard it in 1940 in the animated film Pinoccio... I remember, as a child, wishing on a star, after hearing this poem..."I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I make tonight."
Wonderful