The Night Sky and Smallville

As I sit here listening to Dave Matthews Band, I have two things on my mind. Actually three, but one of them is the song of the day, so it doesn’t count. First, after standing outside by my car for a minute or two and having the chance to admire the clear starlit night, I have decided that the part of nature that brings me closest to God, the part of nature that reveals God most clearly to me, the part of nature that blows my mind most, is the night sky. I didn’t even have to experience Aurora Borealis to decide this. The sky is so huge, and the stars in their arrangement, the inky black sky, the illumination, the chilled air, everything about it inspires me; it puts me to a state of awe and admiration. For me, there is nothing more beautiful then the night sky.

The other thing on my mind is Smallville. In case you don’t know, Smallville is a television show about the life of Clark Kent (aka: Superman) before he moves to the city, basically, its teenage Superman. Now, there is only one show that I watch every episode of, and this is it. I love this show, the characters, the dynamics, the tension, the storylines, the family aspect, the music, I love that I have watched the characters grow to an extent over the last four seasons. I love that I can watch Smallville with my friends and have long serious discussions on plotlines, and possible twists and so on. Three weeks ago I missed an episode. Since then I would’ve been able to watch the last two episodes, but then I would’ve missed one and would not have understood what was going on. So, I waited. A family from my church tapes it every week, and has had the last three taped and waiting for Kyle (my mentor) and I to watch, and tonight we did just that. Three shocking episodes in a row! I haven’t felt this kind of excitement, and anticipation, and shock for a long time. These episodes were definitely huge SHOCKERS. Anyway, I had a great time watching these shows and talking about it with Kyle. It brings us together, our shared love for Smallville, it’s a good thing.

As I watched Smallville, I ended up thinking about something that you might understand only if you have followed the show, so I will do my best to make it clear. Clark (Superman) is affected by this space rock called Kryptonite, and depending on the color, it affects him in different ways. For instance, green kryptonite makes him deathly ill, Red Kryptonite causes him to lose all his inhibitions and he flaunts his power in an evil way. I was thinking about this Red Kryptonite factor and how it turns Clark into a sex-crazed maniac, who loses his regard for other people. Basically it causes Clark to be selfish, rebellious and sex-crazed. I wonder though if this could be a comment on humanity. I think we all have a dark side, a sinful nature that desires nothing but self pleasure, destruction of self, and separation from that which is true and right. But we (for the most part) deny it control of our lives. We don’t deny that it exists, but we try to deny it control, because it is not who we really are. We are really created to be holy creatures in communion with God our Father, and this “dark side”, our red kryptonite side comes out and screws that up. Thankfully God is a loving and forgiving God, who loves us and calls us back to him even when we are ravaging and destroying our lives because we are high on red kryptonite. I don’t know if this makes sense, or what I’m trying to say, except that we all have a dark side, and that we need to be aware of it. Some people try to ignore the darkness in their lives and it does just as much damage, if not more then it would do if it was out in the open. But just acknowledging our dark side is not enough, we need to tell people and be accountable to it, so that we can use that as a method of checks and balances so that our dark side is not in control. I certainly wouldn’t want to imagine the world if everyone lived off of emotion and desire, the world would be worse then it is now! When you expose your dark side it seems to lose some of it’s power because people will see it in you and call you on it. Just like how Clark’s parents know how Red Kryptonite affects him. Yeah, then you have to try and control it, and that’s hard, but God will give us strength and take us to the root of the problem if we are honest about wanting to get away from it. Our God is an awesome God, that may seem cliché, but it expresses how I feel at this moment. Anyway, I love Smallville, and I love God, and I love Good Music, which brings me to my next point.

Recently, and due to the impending arrival of Valentines Day, I have been feeling, nostalgic, romantic, and introspective. A dangerous combination if you ask me! Anyway, this combination leads me to the Song of the Day. “I Wanna Grow Old With You” by Adam Sandler is perfect. I can put myself in his position, I’m not perfect, I’m not rich, I’m not even that good looking, but I want to spend my life with just one person, and I will love her with every fiber of my being, and not only in big ways, but in the small ways, the ways that matter most.

“I wanna make you smile whenever you're sad
Carry you around when your arthritis is bad
All I wanna do is grow old with you.
I'll get your medicine when your tummy aches
build you a fire if the furnace breaks
Oh it could be so nice, growin old with you.
I'll miss you, kiss you, give you my coat when you are cold
. Need you, feed you, I'll even let you hold the remote control.
So let me do the dishes in the kitchen sink
Put you to bed when you've had too much to drink.
Oh I could be the man to grow old with you.
I wanna grow old with you.”

So, if you have the means or desire(I know you have the desire) check this song out. Or just watch “The Wedding Singer” cause that’s what it’s from. Love ya Lots, Peace