I have a strong memory of being at a state campground in California with some friends. It was late at night, we were walking along a road in the campground, surrounded by tall conifer trees, with our flashlights turned off, talking about how dark and spooky it was, we could barely see the road. I casually looked up and saw the stars, probably for the first time in my life so bright and vivid. I whispered, "Look up." We all stopped walking and just stared at the stars for a few minutes.

A few years later, when we had grown up, those same friends and I would go backpacking on our own. I'll never forget the July 4th we spend sitting quietly on a hillside, looking out over the San Joaquin Valley, looking at the stars. Best fireworks show ever.