In pursuit of light

An 11 pm text that it’s time to go. A flurry of activity to grab warm clothes, gear, and our flashlights. A mad dash back into the valley. Then silence. Then waiting.

In pursuit of the aurora, Dimitri, Teo, and I spent yet another night standing under crystal clear skies, our toes cold and eyes wide. So much hurry and bluster to get here, only to stand motionless, quiet, waiting. Waiting for the aurora, yes, our communicated goal. But unsaid, somewhere deep down, a hope that it won’t show. So that we may have another night, another reason to get together and pursue again.

But the lights did show. A show indeed. The expansive sky, its stage. The mountains, its props, and the aurora, the lead character in a play that has been running for the entirety of this planet’s existence. No one dares speak, except for the incoherent gasps and shrieks, unable to be contained under the watchful eye above.

It’s been a while since I've made a pursuit to see these lights. The others in that jeep have since moved away, and things feel different. But I find comfort in knowing the aurora is weaving its way through star and sky, whether I’m watching or not. And when I do make my pursuit again, to find myself under a sea of green ribbons, I’ll be ushered back to this night where we pursued light in the dark and cold backdrop of winter. Light found beyond those above us.