If the weather isn't bad and it's a clear night, I spend fifteen or twenty minutes before bedtime out on the deck looking skyward, or, using a flashlight, I pick my way along the dirt road to the open pasture at the peak of my hill, from where I can see, from above the treeline, the whole heavenly inventory, stars unfurled in every direction, and, just this week, the planets Jupiter in the east and Mars in the west. It is beyond belief and also a fact, a plain and indisputable face: that we are born, that this is here. I can think of worse ways to end my day.
The narrator describes a peaceful routine of stargazing before bed, taking advantage of clear weather. Spending about fifteen to twenty minutes outside, they enjoy the vastness of the sky from their hilltop pasture, where they can admire the stars and visible planets like Jupiter and Mars. This serene moment of contemplation evokes a sense of wonder about existence.
The experience transcends mere observation; it becomes a deep reflection on life and the universe's undeniable reality. The narrator finds solace in this nightly ritual, appreciating the simple beauty and the profound truth of being alive in such a magnificent world. Such moments provide a calming and fulfilling way to conclude the day.
