The Practice of Reflection

The full moon this week coincides with Election Day — a rare moment when visibility in the sky and in public life arrive together. Everything that’s been building becomes visible all at once: the campaigns, the strategies, the predictions, and the votes we’ve cast. It’s a moment of both culmination and recalibration.

In New Jersey, voters are choosing a governor and a new Assembly — decisions that will shape the next two years of public work, when the Senate and Assembly will appear on the same ballot without a party line.

Full moons are mirrors. They reflect what’s been working and what still needs attention. Election seasons do the same. The end of a campaign always reveals more than the result — it exposes which systems held, where communication failed, and how leadership performed under pressure.

I’ve been thinking about how easy it is to equate visibility with success. But in civic life, visibility only exposes the work — the habits, preparation, and consistency. When the spotlight fades, what endures is integrity.

In leadership, reflection isn’t indulgence; it’s maintenance. The ability to pause, assess, and learn before rushing toward the next goal is what preserves clarity of intention.

Tonight’s full moon — the Supermoon, to be exact — is a reminder that reflection isn’t always comfortable. But it’s necessary. What we see clearly now can guide how we build, communicate, and govern in the months and years ahead.

As results settle and attention shifts to what’s next, this is the moment to stay in the light a little longer — to look honestly at what worked, what didn’t, and what must evolve. That’s the real practice of leadership: learning in the light, not just moving through it.