Stars

Stars, specks of exploding gasses thousand of miles away from earth that make the darkness of night bearable. Winter is my favorite season. Let me explain my self. During the summer months the humidity in the atmosphere along with the long-range radiation that the earth gives off makes a haze that makes it difficult to go star gazing or planet watching. Winter is my favorite season because no matter how mild the season is or how frigged a night is you can, on a clear night, see the sharpness of the night sky in all its beauty.

I live in a small town. I do not envy those who live in the city, they are missing out on something wondrous. You might be thinking "This guy is weird, why is he talking about stars." What I want to know is have you ever been to a quite place with little light except that coming from the night sky on a moonless night? It is a different type of peaceful. Imagine yourself laying in the short grass of a field watching the night sky go by. Seeing the shooting stars next to a friend or a lover while the breeze blows through the country side. I get to live this vision whenever I get the chance.

There are places all throughout Missouri that are State owned and therefore available to the public during certain seasons. One such of these places is Prairie State Park in Liberal, Missouri. Do you remember the song Home on the Range? Well there is a part in it that says "where the buffalo roam..." In this state park, you may actually see buffalo roaming. There is also a camping area and walking trails, but the best feature of this spot is in the middle of a clear night laying looking into the heavens a specks of light that brings out the childish imagination of everyone of us.

How cool it would have been to have lived in the age of the Greeks or the Romans. Looking into the night sky and seeing it so clearly with no noise or lights to take away from the peaceful research. To have your mind connect the dots and see images and stories play out in the night sky. To have your myths live on as long as man could see the expanse of the universe. In some ways, night is more magical than day.

So yes I like winter, night and the sky. If you are stressed, take a break. Drive a few minutes to your local state park and lie down and watch the world rotate for a while. You will be glad you did.

Let me know what you think.