Tonight, Planet Earth passed through the remains of a disintegrated comet, creating a once in a lifetime opportunity to see a Firestorm of Shooting Stars! The Astronomers said up to 1000 an hour, every hour, all night long! I was SOOOO Excited!! I love living in a “Dark Sky” location, so I was very much looking forward to this amazing display of incinerating space debris that once amazed humanity as the long, bright harbinger of ill otherwise known as a comet. I waited until about 10:30pm, when the sky would be strewn with the usual thousands of diamonds comprising the Milky Way Galaxy. Walking out into a large pasture surrounded by mountains, I turned my face to the heavens. The stars sparkle, brilliant white against a black velvet sky. The moon has not yet risen, so the faint shadows are from the Milky Way herself. Centuries ago, men built roads based upon the light cast by our galaxy. We were more able to discern subtly of light and shadow in ages past.

My expectation was that there would be a light show of epic proportion, and I was not disappointed, but it was a light show very different from the one I expected.

Zero Shooting Stars. Thousands of Flashing Strobe Light Fireflies, Flashing like mini-strobe lights over the meadow and up into the trees. Dancing across the meadows, higher and higher. Flashing the secret light dance of desire to attract another firefly. Pick me! Pick Me!!! I live in a magical firefly forest.

Expectation is the mother of disappointment. That is an operative statement driving the behaviors and emotions of millions. But I live in a world of miracles, and I practice the Law of Least Effort. Practicing the Law of Least Effort means living each day with Acceptance, Responsibility, and Defenselessness. Acceptance in this Law is defined as knowing that people, situations, places, and things are exactly as they should be because the universe is exactly as it should be, and deciding not to fight against a perfect universe. Responsibility means personal accountability for your actions and all conditions of my life. Defenselessness is just that. Relinquishing the need to defend my point of view or convince anyone else of its ‘rightness’ while simultaneously being open to all other points of view. It’s the ultimate definition of “Open Mindedness”.

The Law of Least Effort is hardwired into my brain, and as a result, I was given the gift of an amazingly beautiful sight which is drowned out by modern society’s fixation on artificial lighting. The wonders of nature miraculously unfold if and when you choose to be a part of God’s astoundingly splendiferous creation. Open Mindedness see miracles all around me, all the time. What an enlightening way to see the world and experience it.

And the Meteor Storm? It ended up being a light shower instead of a torrent. And it happened between 2am and 4am whilst I was blissfully asleep, dreaming of Tree Stars, Fireflies dancing across the meadows and up into the trees.