Today, I was reflecting on many different things, and I was pretty deep in thought.  And out of the clear blue, our not-so-recent trip to Europe came to mind.  Specifically, St. Petersburg, Russia.

I was thinking about our first day there.  We started very early, like around 4:30 or 5:00 a.m.  We had to be through Customs / Immigration by 7 a.m. to meet up with our Russian Tour Guide.

The day was a complete whirlwind.  We tromped all over St. Petersburg on that chilly, rainy day.  Non-stop.

Our final activity for the day was a Traditional Russian Show at the Town Square Theater.  It started off so vibrant and colorful and dazzling.  Dozens of people twirling, and singing, and dancing, with all their might.   But ….. intermingled with the energetic dancing, were military types singing very long, drawn out ballads…. in Russian….  with a sprinkle of depression mixed in.

At Intermission, one of our group of four suggested the possibility of bailing.  In a heartbeat, we bailed.  It was 10 p.m. at night, and getting back on our big boat, and falling asleep, sounded like a much better idea than listening to another ballad.

BUT.  Today it hit me… as I was in deep in thought.  “I wonder what we missed.  What if we missed something spectacular?  I will never know.”

And when that thought hit me, I started to get a little sad… and a little Russian-Ballad-Depressed.

Nevertheless…. hope sprung.  Maybe we did miss something grand.  But no matter where we are, or what we are doing ….. there are a million, billion, spectacular things happening simultaneously…. all over the world.  At any given moment…. at any given time.   And we can’t  possible be a part of all of them… or even a tiny bit of them.

No.

But what we can be… is a big part of the spectacular NOW.  Where ever that “now” may be for us.    Right here.  Right at this moment.    We should take notice of the spectacular now.    Because it is.

We woke up this morning.  We are fortunate to be alive.  We have been given the precious and magnificent gift of human life.  We should use it to be better people.  It is such a good and wondrous thing to have the spectacular …… right here in our midst.

Sing it and dance it… with all your might.

Let your soul stand cool and composed before a million universes.  —  Walt Whitman

To me, every hour of the day and night is an unspeakably perfect miracle.  —  Walt Whitman