And Venus stayed quiet

The clock is ticking. Only 10 more days until payday. And then before you know it, Trick or Treaters are knocking at your door. Three weeks later, it’s Thanksgiving, then Christmas, and then the end of the year — or the beginning of a new one, depending on how you look at it.

Out with the old, in with the new. A chance to get it right this time. A chance to make things better. 

Birthday? Yep, it’s here before you know it. As consistent as winter. But please, this time around, I don’t need anymore pocket screwdrivers or Ikea gift cards. Maybe some new socks. Planet and stars on black. Or Tie-dye hippy socks. A cheesecake would be nice. That and half a day of peace and quiet.

I usually find peace and quiet in the front yard around 5:30 in the morning. I’m out walking the dog. There might be a low hum of an engine way off in the distance, but other than that, wind and crickets. Or recently, cicadas.

Venus is hanging low in the east, just above the tree line. The “Morning Star” is very similar in size and makeup to Earth. It even has an atmosphere. Unfortunately, it’s filled with carbon dioxide that traps the sun’s heat. Venus’ surface temperature is around 900 degrees Fahrenheit, much hotter than Mercury which is closer to the sun than any of us.

Come January 2026, Venus will pass behind the sun and reemerge about 50 days later as the “Evening Star.” Until then, we share a quiet morning together — me walking the dog, thinking random thoughts; Venus not caring at all how early or quiet it is.

The clock keeps ticking. My brother’s birthday. Spring Break. Cinco de Mayo. Anniversary. Is Six Flags open yet? I don’t really want to go. I thought I’d just ask. Summer break. Fourth of July. Hotdogs. Hamburgers. Watermelon. Okay, okay! I’ll mow the yard tomorrow. If I have the time.

Electrons vibrating around atoms; planets around suns; the solar system around the Milky Way. Who knows what the Milky Way is circling? Day and night, off and on, up and down and around again. A universe of spectrums where nothing is just black or white, day or night.

When did tolerance become a four-letter word? Why did “me first” become the motto of the land? How many clowns does it take to turn a lie into a truth? Who, on their turn, will rise and take a stand?

It’s not hard to believe that school is back in swing. That’s what happens every year about this time. Summer break is over. School supplies. New shoes. Watch out for school buses. When is the first football game? I wonder what kind of show the band will perform this year? 

Round and round the cycle goes, when it stops, nobody knows. 

The ancient Romans named Venus after the goddess of love and beauty. The Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei was the first person to look at Venus through a telescope. The United States was the first country to make a successful flyby of the planet. And the former USSR was the first and only country to land a vehicle on its surface. 

I think a lot about Venus as I’m walking the dog down the driveway at 5:30 every morning. I think on how the planet will not be visible in the morning come January; how Christmas quickly follows Thanksgiving and Halloween; how payday seems to always be 10 days away; and how the clock keeps on ticking. Random thoughts on an early August morning.