A Tiny Precious Being by Dr. JJJ

One of the things I am most looking forward to on the voyage is the night sky:  Black ocean waters, black sky, and millions of stars.

I have been semi-obsessed with space since I was a kid. In third grade, I did a school project on Mars. We set up our family telescope on the back porch, along with timed photography so we could track the planet's movement across the sky.  My dad even took my childhood BFF, Julie Swanson, and me to an early morning meeting the Ames Amateur Astronomy Club to view the night sky. In fifth grade, I wrote a letter to Sally Ride, and got an autographed photo mailed back, a happy discovery when I was cleaning out my parent's basement in St. Paul in 2014. In high school, my earth science teacher, Jack Troeger, gave every 9th grader a "Star Dates" constellation wheel and assigned us to view a certain number of constellations that season. My dad, who worked as the Plant Manager for the Ames 3M plant at the time, remembered getting letters from Troeger (who was also President of the Ames Amateur Astronomy Club at the time) complaining about light pollution emitted from the plant. Troeger was passionate about this stuff, and clearly it rubbed off on me.

My favorite poster of all time

My fascination with space as an adult is the closest thing I have to a religion. When asked, "Do you believe in God?" my typical response is something like "Physics" followed by some unintelligible mumbling about infinite universes and the rules of the physical and natural world. Taking Rigley, Walden, and Guthrie to view the total solar eclipse in Wyoming in 2017 was an experience that left me speechless (However, if you talk to the littles, they will likely relay that the most memorable part of that journey was that I made them pee into Nalgene bottles in the car on the way there because the traffic was so bad #momoftheyear #lifeskills).

For me, it is impossible to look at the stars and not feel a sense of perspective.  I am concurrently miniscule in the grand scheme, and a vital part of the whole. I am a tiny precious being in one of an infinite number of universes. This perspective brings both a sense of calm AND inspiration to use what agency I have to live my tiny precious life boldly and authentically.

In the last couple of days, I've been spending a lot of time at work bringing my colleagues up to speed on various work projects that they'll cover for me while I'm on Semester at Sea. This experience for me has oddly evoked some of the same reflections as viewing the night sky. The overwhelming message from my colleagues is, "No problem! We've totally got this, and we'll miss you." It's a message that deeply reinforces the capacity and vastness of all that is around me, and my precious role within it. It is the feeling of simultaneously being part of a powerful whole and uniquely appreciated, arguably one of the best feelings of all.

I am so grateful not only to my colleagues, but also to our family, friends, neighbors, and community who are managing details, assuming additional responsibilities, meeting us in ports, providing emotional support, and/or sending us off with authentic well wishes for the months ahead.  We are humbled and touched by all of the goodness around us.

In between the ports of India and Mauritius (approximately March 9, 2020), the MV World Explorer will sail south of the equator and passengers will view the night sky of the Southern Hemisphere for the very first time. A tiny precious being will look up and be filled with awe, wonder, and a new perspective. She'll be thinking of her kids and her ancestors, and of worlds undiscovered.  She'll be thinking of the other tiny precious beings who have touched her life to this point and how grateful she is that she occupies this corner of the universe(s) with them all.