The Two Constellations

After a hellacious week at work, I decided I absolutely had to run, humidity be damned. I was pondering my running career over the last year-and-change since I broke my talus, taking walk breaks every half mile or so, and just mulling over my current state of affairs. As a former distance runner for whom the first half-marathon was a gateway to an entirely new lifestyle, this recovery time has been life changing. Swapping cockiness and chasing (and barely missing) the dream of running Boston for these little run-walks has been very humbling. I’ve gotten the ancient inline skates out, I bought a road bike, and took up swimming, but running (particularly trail running) is my first love. Even though the cadence is slower and sometimes the sound of the footfalls don’t always feel like my own, the clear head, the sweat, and the hundred calories per mile make it worthwhile.

…and then I turned the corner. I was greeted by the Big Dipper in all of its humongous summer sky glory, which prompted me to poke around and find the other constellation, Orion. You may claim that there are others (I think I saw the Southern Cross when I was in the Navy, but who knows- I’m sure I could find a dozen Southern Crosses in the northern hemisphere if I tried), but I’m here to tell you that without recreational pharmaceuticals, there are only two. As a handy reference guide when using said pharmaceuticals, the ancients provided us with a map. 

Google sky made an attempt to make these so-called other constellations easy to find, but still. No drugs, you only get two. Go out in a field and see for yourself. Seriously- go! When was the last time you really took in the night sky? It, and its two constellations, are nothing short of amazing.