Stars

I took a walk tonight. It was 10:30 and I just had an urge to go out and walk around the neighborhood; it’s something I do sometimes. So I put on a hoodie and grabbed a flashlight from my car, just in case. It was a really beautiful night. The air was crisp and cool. There is something so wonderful about the breeze gently brushing against my cheeks as I walked, and the warmth of a good hoodie to bundle up in. The trees were barren of leaves and there were small patches of snow in places. It felt like a brisk autumn instead of an early spring. I took a deep breath and inhaled the smells of the cool night air. It invigorates my senses.

I don’t really know what prompted this walk, I just left my house and started walking, letting myself go wherever on a whim. I often bring along my ipod to listen to music, or an audio book, but tonight I was just enjoying the silence. I walked through the neighborhood absorbing the stillness. The sounds of my breathing and footsteps seemed to puncture the calm of the night air. I’d stop from time to time to take in the noises of nature. I could hear someone’s wind chimes in the distance as the sound of the breeze whispered through the trees. I really felt at peace as I kept walking.

As it sometimes happens, I ended up in Rock Canyon again. (You all might be sick of me talking about this canyon but for me it’s nice to have a place where I can go and be alone and think. I think that being in nature inspires me to write.) At the mouth of the canyon is a small outdoor theater; It’s simply a few benches and a cement platform. I decided to sit down on a bench and gaze at the stars. The moon was nowhere to be seen and the lights from the city drown out most of the stars in the night sky, but still as I gazed up I could clearly see the big dipper right between the two rock walls of the canyon. There I was feeling, hearing, and smelling such a wonderful night, and as I stared at the stars I suddenly I felt a disconnect from this nature experience. Ever since I got glasses when I was fifteen I’ve always felt like I wasn’t able to fully enjoy staring up at the stars. Although everything else looks clear to me with my glasses, the stars always seem out of focus and distant. It’s probably all in my head, but I remember times before my glasses when the stars felt so wonderful. Looking at the stars tonight reminded me of a trip to Snow Canyon in southern Utah and actually being able to see the purple and blue hues of the Milky Way. I also remembered many summer nights as a child sleeping out on our trampoline and gazing up at the stars and learning about the different constellations. The stars seemed so close and personal then. I think that as I have grown older I’ve neglected the stars more and more. Even without the moon tonight the stars offered all the light I needed. They offer me a glimpse into mighty expanse of space, and testify of the power, wonder, and awe of nature.

As I walked home from the canyon and thought about all that had transpired tonight, a song popped into my head. It’s from the musical Songs for a New World. The chorus goes:

"I'll give you stars and the moon and the open highway

And a river beneath your feet

I'll give you days full of dreams if you travel my way

And a summer you can't repeat.

I'll give you nights full of passion and days of adventure,

No strings, just warm summer rain."

-"Stars & the Moon" by Jason Robert Brown

Like the woman in the song I don’t want to grow old and realize that all that I have with me are material possessions. There is so much more that Nature can offer to my life, if I let it.