I was having a hard time the other night, so I went outside and looked at the night sky. I looked up and asked for a falling star, just one, to let me know that somebody was there. All I wanted was one simple falling star. In a night, a month, a year, a lifetime full of falling stars, just one at that moment to let me know that I wasn’t just talking to the air, that I wasn’t just just talking to the sky.

I didn’t see one.

I went to bed feeling pretty rotten. Why didn’t I see just one simple falling star? Maybe I’d dream about something to let me know that somebody was there.

I didn’t dream.

The next day I woke up, got dressed, and went about my day. It was a day like any other day. Later in the day as I reflected on the absence of a falling star the night before, I realized that day would have gone almost exactly the same way had I seen a falling star. The presence or absence of a falling star would not have altered my actions, or the course, of the next day. I would have still woken up, gone to work, and gone through the motions of yet another day.

I realized that I often look to the sky for a sign that I need to change, and for a sign that things can change. Maybe we all do. My inner critic, fueled by the opinions of a thousand people who need something from me, who don’t know me, and don’t understand me, tell me that pursuing my dreams and living to the full measure of my creation isn’t practical. So, I look the sky for a sign. My daily actions don’t actually move me closer to my goals though.

The presence or absence of a falling star makes no difference. I know what I should be doing, and I know why. I’m just not sure how. The presence or absence of a falling star makes no difference in my day to day actions. That’s on me.

Don’t wait for a sign, because if you’re looking for a sign, you know.

Looking to the sky for a sign will only frustrate you, and cause you to wait longer. Even if you saw it, would the next day be immediately different? No. That’s on you, not the stars.