Two Googly Eyes And The Night Sky

Vasu Goel
Vasu Goel
Sep 4, 2018 · 4 min read

Two googly eyes stare outside the window
The sky is dusted with stars tonight
They twinkle, they glow, they shine
But not as bright as those two googly eyes

Ever since I was a kid, the one thing I loved more than anything else, besides sleeping, was to IMAGINE. I’m pretty sure you enjoyed that too, if not still do. It’s mesmerising what this mind of ours is good at conjuring out of thin air. They range from the ghost hiding under my bed which would grab my foot if it hangs off the edge, to probably how I would save everyone if a shooter barges in my class (I am still in awe of how many people have imagined this very same scenario).

But as we grow up our imagination often becomes more rational. In my case, it lowered the strength to knock down the door of a blazing building to save the woman of my dreams. What I mean is — as kids we are unperturbed by the practicality of an idea. It is just like a Disney movie, with the train of thought travelling at the speed of 30 frames per seconds. As kids, we dream big, not real. We believe in the impossible, not the achievable. We believe in Santa, we believe in bogeyman, and I for one thought Gabbar might actually visit me if I did not stop crying.

As kids our imagination is boundless. It is like splashing colors on an endless canvas. And that’s how it was with me, my googly eyes and the night sky and with age, I found its different hues.

I loved to look into the enormous abyss known as space. Since a very young age, science fascinated me. The human efforts to explore beyond the realms of earth had me hooked with the existence of endless opportunities and discoveries waiting to be uncovered.

I had a keen interest in space exploration and the heavenly bodies, especially the stars. Yeah, our “little” buddies, that twinkle in the night sky.
To me, some were lonely like the Pole Star, while others were a fantastic group of friends — the constellations. Although, I could never fathom how people classified these constellations. I knew a lot of them by heart, but recognizing them was a different ball game altogether. The moon, however, was my best pal. Late at night when I would look up, and I often found it racing along my car. In my mind, I would challenge it to beat us home, but we always won, though with close margins.

As I grew up, I began to read more. And there came the point when mythology started to fascinate me. To my mother’s tough luck, it was the Roman mythology that caught my attention more than the Hindu ever could.
The Romans named their gods after the planets in our system. Jupiter is the god of sky and light, Mars with its red fury is the god of war, Neptune — the god of seas — and the list goes on.

My fascination deepened each day with new illustrations and books. But deep down I was always aware that there was a boundary between science and mythology. Though we get to learn a great deal from the epics, it is science that teaches us about reality. Every advancement in science was the only real step human took towards greater strength.

‘One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind’, were the words by Neil Armstrong when he landed on the moon. And even though I never understood the essence of these words as a kid, now I know how meaningful they are.

When young, who doesn’t dream of going into space? I would often look into the night sky and imagine myself on the moon, prancing around. I loved to gaze at that white disk, and its silvery light cut through the barrier of clouds — hanging like a silver pearl in the sky, mystifying me with its presence, changing shapes every day.

This world beyond our world is exciting, isn’t it? Well, it never fails to bewilder me. The awe that I have for it never seems to die, and I do not know if it ever will. Ask me if I believe in aliens, and I’d say yes. Not because I believe they exist, but because I want them to. Sometimes an empty room, makes me feel lonely, wonder, what an empty universe might feel?

Well, I’ve grown now. Busy with life, deadlines, assignments, friends, and family. But that kid with inquisitive eyes peeks now and then. That kid with googly eyes comes around, every time I look above towards the dark sky.

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