“Why is there no full moon tonight?” My brother, Logan, asked me this last night when we were taking my dog for a quick walk before bed. I crane my neck to look up to the sky. A half moon and a few bright stars shine in the cloudless sky.
“Well, um, uh...” I stumbled on my words, and tried to think back to my two months of studying astronomy in 8th grade with Ms. Hermesch. Our assignment was to go outside every night, once it got really dark out, and draw the sky. We were told to pay close attention to the phase of the moon, the constellations, and planets.
“Okay, so, about once I think… every month, the moon completes one rotation around earth. When the sun is in different spots around earth, the light from the sun shines on it from different angles. So, once a month, when the earth is in just the right spot, the sun’s light reaches the entire face of the moon and illuminates it. Yesterday we could see half of the moon’s face, because the light from the sun was only shining on that part of the moon.” I was very proud of myself for remembering class material that I was taught four years before.
I glanced over at my brother, but he didn’t seem completely satisfied with my response. His eyebrows furrowed, he looked up at me, and then looked down at his shoes, struggling to process the information I had just given him.
Okay, new plan. Logan is only 8, I shouldn’t tell him 13-year-old level information. Think Jamie. Think.
I shut my eyes, and pictured my 8th grade self, sitting on the steps of my front porch, staring up at the sky, mesmerized by its beauty.
I remember.
The stars seemed simple at first. But when I sat outside for hours on end, and my eyes completely adjusted to the dark, I remember noticing the intricacies of the sky. The off-black color that took up my entire field of view became deeper and more detailed after every night. I started to notice the tiniest of stars that I normally wouldn’t have, if I weren’t, I guess, an “experienced” stargazer. On very special nights, when the sky was in perfect condition, a galaxy would appear like a tiny smudge of glitter on a blackboard: simple, and beautiful.
And, the moon… What did I notice about the moon? Think back. How did it change in tone? What about the valleys, the mountain, the craters? Think…I’ve got it!
The face! I remembered the face on the moon. It was hard to find, but I remember... I first saw him, the face, about a week into my 8th grade stargazing career. I was getting lonely, staring up at the stars for hours on end. I was looking for a friend, and he seemed friendly. He had warm smile and inviting eyes. It was not just a coincidental formation of craters that resembled human features. He was my friend! I called him Morris, Morris the moon.
“Logan, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Let’s sit.” My brother’s eyes widened, now full of curiosity. He gazed up at me. We sat on our front porch, just where I sat and stargazed 4 years before. I told my dog to lie on the grass, still holding on to his leash.
“I used to star gaze, when I was about 13 years old. While I was stargazing, I met a very good friend. His name is Morris, Morris the Moon. Not every kid who stargazes gets to meet Morris. The only people who notice him are special. The ones who pay attention to the details and, um, read in between the lines. Let me put it this way: if you want to ever meet Morris, when you get a little older, you have to ask thoughtful questions and never lose your curiosity. It sounds like a lot now, you’re only a little kid, but you should understand when you get older.”
Logan rested his head on his cheek, started to yawn, but stopped himself and rubbed his eyes to keep himself up.
He’s getting tired, Jamie. Keep this interesting. “Earth only has one moon: Morris. But, some other planets have tons of Moons. Jupiter has like, 67 moons. And Saturn has 53, I think. Anyway, all the moons that orbit around Jupiter and Saturn have each other as company. They hang out and talk and have parties. If you were on Jupiter or Saturn, and looked up at the night sky, you would be able to see tons of moon faces like Morris’s, and more than once a month. They are really social moons! Morris is a lonely moon. Not a bad kind of lonely. He is more independent, I guess. Morris likes to keep to himself most of the time. I suppose, if Earth had more moons, Morris would show his face a little more, but it’s hard to say. That’s why I like Morris. He is unpredictable, interesting and different. He doesn’t stick to the moon status quo and mingle all the time and let that take over his life. He shows up when he wants to, not too often and not too little. He has friends, but he doesn’t spread himself too thin. The friends he makes are friends he keeps and stays close to. When Morris isn’t showing his face, he’s looking off in the other direction, out into the solar system searching for other interesting and curious moons that he might get along with and stars that he wants to learn more about. He does his own version of stargazing, I guess.”
Logan perked up. The corners of his lips curled upward, a smile formed and he leaned forward.
“Anyway, getting back to the point, you know how Morris only shows his face when there is a full moon, once a month? It’s for a reason. Full moon nights are the most interesting nights. The sky is brighter, and people have the most fun and act the craziest. But more importantly, full moon nights are the nights when people are the most curious. I always made sure I stargazed on full moon nights. I really wanted to know more about the sky, and that’s when I noticed Morris, and when Morris noticed me. It’s like Morris goes…um, people watching. He looks down at earth and picks and chooses which people he wants to present himself to and form relationships with. He’s a smart moon, and gives great advice. Morris helped me through tons of dilemmas and answered so many questions and told me exotic, exhilarating stories. He shared some of his deepest and darkest secrets with me and I felt comfortable sharing mine with him, but I’ll tell you about that another day. My friendship with him really changed me, for the better. It completely widened my horizon… made me look at the world from a whole new lens. I call it the Morris Lens.”
“When will I get to meet Morris?”
“If you want to meet Morris for yourself, you need to do a few things. First of all, don’t tell anyone what I have just told you. It is a secret. Only special boys and girls get to know it. Second, be yourself. Don’t stick to the status quo. Never change your personality because other people want you to, or make you feel like you should. Morris never follows the crowd and only likes people who are unique. Most importantly, stay curious! Never be satisfied with what you think you know. Always think deeply and have a thirst for knowledge. Always ask questions… thoughtful questions. Take a step back, and be aware of your environment. If you pay close enough attention, you may very well find Morris, and Morris will hopefully find you too.”
