Berry Picker

I'm counting eleven. Eleven congratulatory emails coming from all parts of the world. I saw them, from the corner of my eyes, pop up on the lower right corner of my screen. The guy must be well-liked, admired, respected to get that many. Bonjour, bonjour monsieur!

Then comes this departure email. Would emails of appreciation and goodbyes start popping up on my Outlook tonight? The guy says he had an amazing experience with the organization. Yes, there's something from his boss. She says to those left behind to be patient in this time of transition...Gracias y Adios, senor!

I listen to Tony Bennett's Duets on NPR's First Listen. There he is with a blue-haired Lady Gaga. Last time, they showed him with Amy Winehouse. Lady Ga and AW have that swoosh of an eyelash from the sides of their eyes. Must be great to have all that...flair and oomph, to be bigger than life.

Like the celestial equator that the sun crosses. I can't imagine it but the ancients did. They looked beyond earth and saw the movements of stars, moons, planets and sun. And they devised bigger-than-life points of reference based on what they saw out there.

What do I see on my 8 x 10 screen? Welcomes and goodbyes popping in the corner? Someone getting on board, someone leaving.

We stay on the balance for as long as it lasts. We move with the earth's tilt and circle life along its axis. Tectonic shifts will come and we say Bonjour or Adios. But on a day like this we look up at the sky and see the sun cross the celestial equator and know that life is bigger than us.