I Believe in the Power of Stargazing

The night sky has always amazed me. The stars seem so friendly, but are really balls of fire that are so far away that the light that I gaze at has gone on a journey that may have taken millions of years. Meteors fall through the sky, leaving a trail of “space dust” behind. I ooh and aah at something that I can only appreciate for its beauty, and something more that is hard to put a finger on.

My appreciation for starry nights grew one evening when my dad and I had just finished a long day of backpacking. We were sitting by the edge of a lake, watching a meteor shower. It was serene, but unfortunately I wasn’t actually seeing many shooting stars. I decided to challenge the night skies, God (or whatever) “If you are up there, show me a gorgeous shooting star.” Soon my dad said that he wanted to head up to camp, and reluctantly I got up to leave. Then the largest meteor I have ever seen flew though the sky. My dad didn’t see it. Ever since then, when I look up at the heavens, I feel confident that someone or something is watching over me.

I believe in the power of stargazing. As well as making me feel connected to God, I use the night sky as a metaphor for life. Life is so full of small bright spots and beautiful surprises, even in the darkest of times. The stars always startle me: I can’t begin to understand what they are, but I know that they are the reason that I am here today. Stars show me the grace of life. I should really enjoy being alive because in the vast universe, we have not yet found nothing like our little planet so full of life. When I look up at night, I can truly feel my own smallness and insignificance. Sometimes this makes me feel melancholy because I see that I don’t really matter to the universe. I am simply one organism living on our tiny planet. At the same time I realize that since there is so much beyond me, maybe it would be better to just relax. When the days are hard I remember the stars and I feel less alone and more hopeful. Each day, the sun rises and I don’t always feel ready, I wish for shooting stars and sweet dreams. But I know that our sun is a star too, so each day will be okay.