I missed something this morning, something I intended to catch.
Something that only happens every hundred years or so, I’m told.
It’s the Total Lunar Eclipse. The Super Blue Blood Moon 2018. An ominous title for an extraordinary event.
I was promised it would be “quite the show,” both a blue moon and a super moon, something that hasn’t yet been witnessed during and won’t be again in my lifetime.
Visibility would be limited in parts of the country (much like last summer’s highly touted solar eclipse which wasn’t visible at all from our vacation spot in Orleans, Mass, where we saw… nothing). That didn’t deter me from planning to catch this lunar eclipse, at least a glimpse of it.
This was to be an inspirational post about how nature provides us contemplative moments in which to reflect.
Here’s what I did not plan for: being out late the night before, failing to properly set my alarm, getting delayed by the AM scrum of two kids needing to be up and on the school bus.
That’s right, I was too busy contemplating breakfast and yelling, “Get up, you’re going to miss the bus!” (Also, “What do you want for breakfast?!” and “Maybe you should just make it yourself!” and “Take a coat, it’s 15 degrees outside!” and “Did anybody feed the dog??”)
In other words, just like any other morning in our house…
By the time I put on boots and walked outside, I discovered the moon was so low in the sky it was blocked by the neighboring trees. I hadn’t planned on needing to go elsewhere.
And by the time I corralled the dog from the yard and got in the car to circle the block for a better vantage point, the sun had risen enough that I couldn’t see the moon at all.
And this became a post about missed opportunity.
My disappointment is probably greater than it should be for a 40-something woman with a busy life who can certainly Google “Super Blue Blood Moon 2018” images on-line and experience this event through the eyes of capable photographers with powerful zoom lenses.
But my disappointment comes in disappointing myself. This experience, like so many others, isn’t just about the seeing the moon. It is also about every plan I make for myself, every desire or dream I have that doesn’t come to fruition.
Why?
Because I didn’t take the necessary steps to make it happen.
It wasn’t that hard to do, I just needed to actually do it.
Plans mean nothing if they’re not executed.
Goals go by the wayside without the actual work to make them happen.
This wasn’t, by any means, a hard one to do. I just didn’t do it. That’s on me.
Missing the once in a century Super Blue Blood Moon is disappointing. So, too, is not finishing the first of several books I’m intending to write, not reaching back out to the contacts I made who inspire me and might help me grow my business, not going to the gym and eating better and losing just those 2 lbs. this month to get me on track for a year of mindful health improvement.
I either do it or I don’t.
Today I didn’t. Even though I had planned to. Even though I wanted to.
What about you? What do you intend to do and plan to do and want to do that you just DON’T do?
Does that make you disappointed? Or want to do it more? How will you get it done?
Unlike the Super Blue Blood Moon, my opportunity comes again, right now. So does yours. All of my other plans and goals aren’t subject to a Once-in-a-100-Year opportunity. Neither are yours.
I have the opportunity every day to put them into action and make them happen.
So, back to you… What are your plans and goals? But more importantly, how will you reach them?
Don’t miss the opportunity.
What’s your personal Super Blue Blood Moon? Make it happen. Preferably In this century.
Valerie Gordon is the founder and owner of Commander-in-She, a career and communications strategy firm. She uses the principles of storytelling to help clients find more success at work, achieve their goals and create satisfying Next Chapters.
Originally published at commander-in-she.com