It has recently come to your attention that asteroid 2022 AP7 is headed towards the earth. ◙ Despite your attempts at distraction, your mind repeatedly imagines the collision. ◙ Experts call 2022 AP7 a planet killer–then say not to worry as it could be many generations before this is a true concern. ◙ Envisioning a catastrophic event, you question if time would leave space for fear should an asteroid approach the earth in a growing shroud of darkness. ◙ You are desperate to understand how one prepares for the eventual ending of a life. ◙ Would the impact of an asteroid trigger a deafening sound or deep silence like life at the bottom of the ocean? ◙ Your mind fantasizes about a day in the future when nations are warring over a limited stockpile of sedatives. ◙ Scientists mention that planetary defense systems might evolve in the future to protect the earth against enemy asteroids. ◙ You wonder what it feels like to die. ◙ You consider microdosing lithium supplements in an effort to improve your mental health. ◙ After reading about 2022 AP7, you start attending church services again. ◙ You question whether living would be easier if it was possible to know will happen in the future. ◙ “We just want to do everything possible to not be surprised,” said NASA.
Another Husband in the Waiting Room
Laurence Musgrove
December 12, 2025
3 thoughts on “Lessons From the Night Sky”
I enjoyed your writing thanks for sharing. I always wonder why a FP does not acknowledge her specialty. You would join a large number of Family Physicians writers.
Dr. Redmer, I liked both the content of your piece and the style in which you wrote it. For those of us in healthcare who’ve witnessed the passing of a single individual’s life, it’s not often we are invited to stop and think about ALL of us ceasing to be. The good news about that? Not much we can do about that “big picture problem” in our industry, so we can relax a bit and just focus on the work we signed up for in the beginning: helping patients. Hell of a way to stem the tide of increasing corporatization, though…and I was hoping I’d get more time to read.
(You put an ironic smile on my face as the week ended, colleague; thank you!)
I absolutely love this. Unusually vivid and original. While I mostly write fiction these days, this makes me want to try something similar. Thank you.