I’m outside of Moab at a remote lodge in a canyon that overlooks the Colorado river. In the daylight, it is a beautiful scene. Birds whistling while chipmunks and ground squirrels scurry about. It is calming and peaceful.

But at night, under a new moon (aka no moon), the darkness consumes every inch of the landscape. You can’t see where your feet are going. Yet the sky is alight with stars. So many that they bundle together. I’ve always been pretty good at spotting constellations but even the brightest stars blend into each other. It’s mesmerizing.

Out here, I feel so small in comparison to the cosmos. I can’t help but be grateful to experience such a beautiful part of the world that few get to see. It grounds me and humbles me to appreciate all that I have and all that I have yet to explore.