Last night I slept alone in the schoolhouse for the last time
this year. When I woke up in the middle of the night, I stepped outside to see
the stars. I could hear the river from across the field as it can be heard only
at night. It anchored me to this very specific location. The Milky Way arched
protectively over the house securing our galaxy within the vastness of space. The
Milky Way is so immense we can both see it and be in it. It is a unique position, observation and
experience at once. I am sixty-one years old today here not far from the
Musselshell River in central Montana on planet earth, circling our star within
the Milky Way galaxy which swirls beautifully in the universe.
