Friday, July 8, 2011

A light.

Last night we landed in Albuquerque, New Mexico at about two in the morning, picked up our rental car and began our hour long drive north to Santa Fe. We were weary, my producer and I, having been casting for two straight days under the intense view of our intense director, with not a moment's downtime or to ourselves.

We were driving north on interstate 25 when through the front windshield we saw an incredibly bright green light. Then a fire ball glowing greenish-orange with a long flamed tail streaked past us and hit the desert ground. We had seen a meteorite fly by up close.

There is a lot of bullshit in the world. You're not mad if your world view is pessimistic. So much seems wrong. Our problems as a species, and a nation seem, at times insurmountable. A meteorite glowing, pulsating and trailing flame, obviously, does not change any of that.

But it does remind you, forcibly, of the splendor and beauty of the world. That despite the greed and small mindedness of so many, despite rampant ugliness and cruelty, there is the incalculable and fascinating. There are pure occurrences where your imagination isn't hamstrung.

I am 53 years old and have never seen anything remotely like I saw last night. I may never see anything like it again. But let's not stop looking.

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