Boomer Rediscoveries: Stargazing
When was the last time you went outside on a warm summer night, laid on the grass, and looked up at the stars? In my case, it has been a long time, way too long. On a recent trip to Maine, on a lark, my college-age daughter, my husband, and I went to one of the ranger-led stargazing programs at the stunning Acadia National Park. This one was called “Stars Over Sand Beach” and it started at 9PM. We were intrigued.
We showed up at the beach. It was just getting dark and a bright half-moon was rising. A ranger met us as we descended the stairs to the beach, and asked all of the participants place their towels side by side in a big square so we could all see and hear the presentation. These programs are geared to children, so there were lots of families with young kids. All of us were gathered close, communally. Under other circumstances, I would have been a little uncomfortable with this arrangement, but with the combination of the mild summers night, the beautiful location, the bright moon, and the energy of the young park rangers, everyone was so happy that we all kind of became friends for that moment in time.
As we all gazed up onto the night sky, the Rangers proceeded to teach us all about the constellations. They used a special laser pointer that shot way up into the sky to point out each one. That was pretty cool.
As I sat there, filled with wonder, I couldn’t help but ask myself why I didn’t do this more often. Why do we stop taking the time to look up at the night sky and be filled with wonder? It is there for the taking…Every…Single…Night. So beautiful, so vast. It makes me feel small, but in a good way. It makes me remember why I believe in God. You can’t help but be filled with awe at the creation of this incredible Universe when you look up into the night sky. This stargazing adventure…just a little unplanned side trip, a lark…was a profound Boomer rediscovery. It was a reminder that I never want to stop being filled with wonder, no matter how long I live.
There are lots of warm summer nights left, to stargaze.
This is really a good reminder that man didn’t do this. With the eclipse coming, it encouraged a lot of eyes to look upward and recognize the awesomeness of God.