Solitude

Tonight I went for a late jog. Not having a set schedule affords me the luxury of being able to set my own. So I have found myself becoming more and more of a nightowl. I prefer that time of day. Maybe I have a little vampire in me? I don't know.

So tonight I went for a jog a little after 10. Ten o clock on a chilly Sunday night pretty much guarantees a great deal of quietness and solitude. It was great. As I was jogging I took notice of the night sky, it was very clear tonight. I stopped about midway through my run and just looked up at the sky. The stars were very clear tonight. I've never been a fan of knowing the constellations, it kind of seems abstract to me. But I know a few. Orion's Belt always stands out to me. I saw it tonight. I do like being able to pick it out, along with the Big Dipper. And I can usually spot Venus, sometimes Jupiter.

I don't know the entire history of how the mapping of constellations came to be. I know they were used for navigation by sailors. And a part of me likes to think that people long ago were trying to make some kind of order out of chaos. Trying to structure the stars to fit some kind of understanding they could hold on to.

I was reminded of how God makes me, and everyone, make some sense of order in our lives amid the chaos that is human existence. For me, I have had some sense of chaos recently. Not tragic happenings, not anything that cannot be overcome by any means. But still, for me, some jarring losses and transitions that I still seem to struggle to overcome.

But God is present always to help make sense of it all.

Tonight I had a great bit of solitude while out jogging. But I also felt exposed to the universe, running underneath the naked night sky. So I also felt joined with, well, with God, with other people, I don't know. But in my solitude I knew I wasn't alone.

All is well.