I am perpetually in AWE (Ali Watches Exuberantly) of the Aurora Borealis.

Every night before I go to sleep, I pause. I do not practice additional breathing exercises to intertwine with my mind. I do not stretch my muscles to relax while lying in bed. Instead, I wait in eager anticipation of the buffering lull between when I click on the play button of Explore’s Northern Lights Live Cam and the broadcast’s instant revelation of the Churchill, Canada sky. Timing is everything!

From August until April, there are many Manitoban nights when I see either (1) a fuzzy view of a light grey haze or (2) a clear view of sparkling stars like diamonds. But when a dazzling display of the Auroras happens to greet me on my phone screen, I am instantly transported closer to the Universe. My eyes are transfixed by the [mostly] chartreuse and neon green atoms and electrons combusting and swirling to create feathered tufts of dancing waves of light. Beholding the spectacular auroras in real-time, even from afar, sparks a visceral reaction, a gentle attunement of my existence as a blip…a blink…a flicker on our spectrum of time. Sometimes I shed tears of gratitude, sometimes I squeal with glee, and sometimes I stay quiet and still. Yet, I always fall asleep with a smile, feeling anchored as stardust on Earth.

Once I begin international travel again, the Kakslauttenan Arctic Resort is at the top of my Passport Purposes list!