35 Years On: Pale Blue Dot and Our Place in the Universe
At 4:48 GMT on February 14, 1990, Voyager 1 snapped an image of our collective home. It wasn’t until a couple months later that the image data finally made its way back to the space center to show what had been captured: the Earth looking like a tiny speck of dust suspended in a sunbeam—a photo that would go on to be known as the Pale Blue Dot.
The Everyday Mindfulness of Mary Oliver
One poem that I’ve been intentionally turning to in recent weeks is “Mornings at Blackwater,” which was originally published in her 2008 book of poetry Red Bird. An ode to her beloved Provincetown pond, this 18-line poem reads like a reassuring incantation—stay steadfast in this present moment and the world you envision can be yours. You just have to accept the invitation to the pond, to the place where your imagination can run free.