Some Writes ago, a few months into Covid conditions, I shared that I’d started jogging (not-yet-running). My excursions often take place in the early morning hours, any time between about 2:30 and 5:30. Out for 20 minutes or so, a quick shower and back to bed for some astonishingly deep enriching sleep before getting up in time for 7:30 morning minyan on Zoom.

Why then? Maybe nature called, or a dream compelled, and, once I was up, my brain got to buzzing. So, a few times a week, I suit up and head toward the boardwalk to quell the chatter.

Now that I am no longer panting after just a few blocks, it feels great! The fresh air, the quiet neighborhoods, the empty boardwalk, the cathartic sounds of the waves. And, November to February, Orion watches from overhead.
Orion, the hunter of Greek mythology, is easily recognizable by the three stars in a row we see as his belt. (it is the only constellation I can readily identify.) For the rest of the figure, you might check a map of the constellations; to me, the ancient Greeks’ connect-the-dots imagination created celestial puzzles more than it crafted realistic sketches.

The stars that make up Orion are from 243 to 1, 360 light-years from Earth. This means that we perceive Orion as though on a single plane, but were we able to view the constellation from another celestial vantage point it wouldn’t look at all like the Orion we know.

At times, in my excursions, I am like Orion, a hunter: I seek fresh perspectives, something different, for example, a solution to a challenge or an original melody for a song or prayer text.

Of course, the only place I can hunt is in my own musings or musical imagination, and sometimes — while jogging through neighborhoods, on the boardwalk or on the beach — I get lucky. Other times, airing out the brain without distractions is enough of a reward for pounding the pavement (or sand).

For the next few months, I will enjoy the company of Orion as each of us pursues personal prey in the bracing chill of winter morns.

If you, too, have some too-early mornings, direct your gaze toward the ocean, then look up. Happy hunting!

And, when watching the candles you light seeming like nearby intimate stars…

Hanukka sameiach ! Happy Hanukka ! חנוכה שמח

and join us for candle-lighting and fun stuff online, nearly every night of Hanukka.
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