The evening star
is the most
beautiful of all stars.
—Sappho—
The first star in the evening sky shines with a special brightness, because it is the first. We see it as a signal; the first sign that afternoon has turned to evening. The first of anything is touched with special glamour;
first love, a baby’s first words or steps, first day of school, first job. They are signals of change, profound and irreversible. When day turns to evening, that day will never come again. Tomorrow is a new day, unique and never-to-be-repeated. If we could meet each new day, each new person, each new experience, as though it was our first, our lives could be touched by the excitement and discovery of adventure. We’re not the same as we were yesterday. Each moment we change; each new event in our lives can be a cusp between two different states. Today let’s give ourselves that special gift. Each moment is the first of a new series. I will be attentive.