I was on my way home from a friend’s place in Brooklyn. It was late, and the G wasn’t running to Queens so I had to take a train, then a shuttle, then a train again to get home. On my ride, I was contemplating whether I should have maybe left earlier to avoid this late NYC pain-in-the-ass transit shenanigans.

Walking to my apartment, I looked up, as I’m drawn to do, especially when it’s a clear, crisp night sky above. I saw Jupiter, so bright and steady in its luminosity next to Orion. While thinking, “Dang, lemme get a better look at this,” I saw a speedy little trail shoot down from Orion’s shoulder to the belt. “Weird,” I thought and looked at the eastern sky, still walking, only a few paces way from my building. And then I saw another shooting star.

I realized it’s mid-December and the Geminids are peaking.

I went into my apartment, peed, then went right back on my roof, and lay down, flat on my back. I put my hood on, stuffed my hands into my pockets and looked up. The sky really was so, so, so beautiful.

I really like shooting stars, so I love, love, love meteor showers. My favorites are the Orionids for the intense trails they leave behind, and the Geminids for how generously they decorate the sky. A big reason I love them is because of the childish thing of, like, oh we get to wish on each shooting star. So during a meteor shower, you get so many wishes!

Of course I already wished on the two I had seen earlier. So I waited. The thing about observing the night sky is that in order to really see, you have to soften your gaze. Let your vision kind of dissipate from looking directly at anything, to allowing every part of your entire field of vision hold equal importance, including the very peripherals. I read something recently about how softening your gaze is meant to relax you. How having an intense direct stare can put you in a state of heightened stimulation.

I saw a quick little shooting star just then. Another wish.

It was cold, but I was wearing my thermals, my plastic shell full of down feathers. My wishes are kind of naive. Or maybe a bit embarrassing, to be honest. But who cares, it’s not like these rocks (specifically from this big asteroid 3200 Phaethon)hurtling through space and creating these transient shapes in all directions are judging me. I was starting to get ready to go back inside though, but it was just simply too beautiful to head back. I really wanted to see another one, one that was kind of big and majestic. I waited for what seemed like a half hour, though it was definitely shorter. (I don’t like looking at my phone because it undoes the work my eyes already did of adjusting to the darkness)

I didn’t have any wishes anymore. Even the earlier ones, I was like, y’all, it’s not that serious, don’t worry about those. If I’m being very, very honest, I kind of started crying. Mostly because, what the hell could I possibly wish for? I have pretty much everything I could want or need, really, at least right now. To be so blessed with shelter, food, warmth, love, health, and then to be witness to the ever present beauty of the world, it’s like. Okay !!! Gratefulness overload.

And then in the far right part of my vision, a long, thin shooting star coming from Perseus, arcing into the space right where the darkness of the sky meets the fuzzy light emanating from the Manhattan skyline. It was one of the most gorgeous Geminids I’d seen, impressive, really. What more could I hope to end my impromptu observing on? Thank you, night sky, I love you, I love you, I love you !!!