Star Gazing

My husband is a little obsessed with stars. Stars of Betelgeuse and North fame, not Bullock and Clooney. I don’t think he knows very much about them, he just likes to look at them. Last year we vacationed at a beautiful Christmas tree farm (check it out) in Springfield, VT and the lack of ambient light nearly sent Kevin to the moon. Every night he went out to star gaze and came back with visibility reports.

Our last night there I somehow found myself outside, nose to the air trying to catch sight of a shooting star. After, oh, five-ish minutes I said something like, “that was neat, I’m going inside.” Kevin did a nice body block between me and the door and suggested we get a blanket and lay on our backs-that would really help with my neck pain (I may have suggested my neck was cramping after staring upwards for so long). “Yes, that would help my neck, but it’s pretty cold. I think I would need two blankets and I’m not sure we have two to spare.” Then Kevin painted a sobering picture of what would happen if I continued making excuses and did not come lay on the blanket with him. It was a life devoid of romance, merely coexisting in the same space and lacking spontaneity and passion; wasting away comfortably under the same roof. It was something like that, anyway. My point is, our marriage was on the cosmic line.

It’s not that I have something against stars-really I’m not a monster. I give them the appreciatory glance from time to time. But have you ever just stopped and looked? I mean, really considered the implications of a hundred million balls of hydrogen (I looked that up) hung in space? And those are only in the Milky Way (I’m telling you, it’s on Wikipedia)! I think my final excuse to Kevin was, “it just makes me uncomfortable.” The stars judge me from so far off, and I try to avoid their stare. They are literally the only things that can be seen on such a dark night in the country that it’s glaringly obvious we are outnumbered. Something about the reality of God settles in and I know I am not the center of the universe. And it’s a relief.

I went inside and got that blanket. Our marriage could use a little star gazing.

The farm was beautiful, the family who owns it are such generous hosts. If you live in VT, consider taking a weekend getaway here. My kids loved the chickens and cats.