One of my childhood dreams was to be an astronaut. I believe children look up in wonder at the night skies, fascinated by the heavenly stars. I particularly liked staring at the Moon, and seeking shapes in the the shadows and lights of its face.
Kids are so impressionable. One of the things I now know is the drawback of growing up in a superstitious culture. An adult told the 6 year-old me that if I stared at the Moon I would go mad. I believed it, so I stopped staring at the Moon. But I had stolen moments of gazing at the Moon. I continue to be spellbound by its face, though I’ve outgrown the silly superstition.
Tonight, the Moon is at its Waning Gibbous state. It is shrinking from Full to Half Moon.
If you’re an early riser and it wasn’t overcast in your neighborhood, you may have seen the Full Harvest Moon at 5:58 am this morning, . I was still tucked between the covers with Molly, my elderly cocker spaniel, spoon shaped at my feet. I was up and about by 6:10 getting my chickens out of the coop. It was overcast this morning, and the Moon was clouded over.
After a full long day at my desk, I got into the van with Goliath, my shepherd-rottweiler mix dog. We walked in the twilight at Edward Vincent Park and the Moon followed us. It was calming and soothing with the canopy of pine and deciduous trees overhead, while we walked on the carpet of grass. The stress of the day just melted away.
I sang Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon” on the short drive home. This Moon theme hung over me. I remembered that it’s about this time of the year when mooncakes are available, and it is THE ONLY time of the year that they can be found. Naturally, I searched “Mooncakes Los Angeles” and a list of Asian bakeries popped up. Only one was open till 9 pm. I called “Wonder Bakery” on Broadway in Chinatown. The sweet young man on the phone confirmed that they are open till 9 and there are mooncakes to be bought. I had less than an hour to drive from South LA to Chinatown.
In a short period of time I found out tonight, Friday, September 29th is the Mid-Autumn festival of 2023. It is also known as the Moon Festival, a celebration of the Full Harvest Moon, symbolic of a time of completeness and abundance.
I am going to this, because it is symbolic of me stepping into the awakening to my resilient self. I honor and give gratitude to the abundance of the friendships that gathered around me during periods of facing challenges, changes and complexities (the 3 C’s). I harvest the ripeness and crystallization of beginnings and endings.
The practice of Grati-osity is a hybrid word that combines gratitude and generosity. Expressing gratitude, typically some time after The Three C’s have occurred, means seeing the good in the experience, even if you would not have chosen the circumstance.
Generously sharing your resilience stories means that rather than giving advice or telling others what to do, you offer them in the spirit of mentoring, coaching, and advising others. Your stories of perseverance also encourages other to heal and grow.
The 5 Practices of Highly Resilient People” by Dr. Taryn Marie Stejskal
I will also add that I need resilience to make my innermost dreams come true, because dreams give me hope.
Ils ont besoin de pouvoir rêver de décrocher la lune.
They need to be able to dream and to reach for the stars.
https://context.reverso.net/translation/french-english/d%C3%A9crocher+la+lune
I ate a mooncake and sipped tea as I typed this blog. Molly nudged me for some bites of the cake. Laden with the sweet red-bean paste and its salted duck yolk center, it’s time for some sweet Full Moon dreams.
