“To visit Planet Earth you will have to be born as a human child.
At first, you will have to learn to use your new body, to be able to move your arms and legs, to pull yourself upright.
You will learn to walk and run, to use your hands, to make sounds, and form words. Slowly, you will learn to take care of yourself. Here, it is still and peaceful, but there, the colors, sensations, and sounds will wash over you constantly.
You will see so many living things, plants and animals, beyond imagining.
Here, it is always the same, but there, everything is in motion, everything is always changing.
You will be plunged into Earth’s river of time, there will be so much for you to learn, and so much for you to feel, pleasure and fear, joy and disappointment, sadness and wonder.
In your confusion and delight, you will forget where you came from. You will grow up, travel, and work.
Perhaps you’ll have children, even grandchildren, of your own.
Over the years, you will try to make sense of that happy, sad, fully, empty, always-shifting life you’re in.
And when the time comes to return to your star, it may be hard to say goodbye to that strangely beautiful world. “
– Star Child, by Claire A. Nivola
There is a collective heaviness we’re feeling right now and it can be all-consuming. Remember that you can feel empathy and pain for the human rights injustices happening both locally and globally, without losing sight of the small joys of everyday life.
Thank you for your continued support.
Your neighbors,
Sam and Shaleen DeStefano