Wait, what?

I assume you must be thinking about everything that is wrong with such a title--scientifically and just plain logically. "Hey um, earth to Margaret! Our planetispart of the Milk Way. So therefore, our backyards are as well...and I doubt Jupiter would fit snugly in anyone's patio."

Things don't seem to add up. However, dear friends, within the quite loony machinations of my mind, I began to see the undeniable connection between our shared universe--100,000 light years away--to our own individual universes.

We are a microcosm of our Milky Way.

Like the eccentric stars, we illuminate at our own pace, blindly bright yet inexplicably mesmerizing. Some stars shine brighter than others and vary in size, though their unique luster brings about distinction and diversity. We are similarly experts at our own game, radiating in various fields, talents, and beliefs. Some quite literally sparkle in the limelight, with fame and fortune, while some internally exude in their own solitary simplicity.

A cliché and generic philosophy, sure, but it perpetually reigns true: we are all stars.

Amidst it all, we have also created different realities--as individualized versions of planets--catered to our personal circumstances and comforts. Sure, Venus and Jupiter share a mutual home, yet they are completely foreign to one another. Lover of the warmth, Venus burns of lava, while Jupiter comfortably freezes in isolation.

Just like them, here we are, all beings yet distinctly human.

We endeavor in our own inhibitions, challenges, and triumphs. Bob hates pizza. Lisa loves it. Lisa is the star soccer player, while Bob has two left legs that fail to even kick the ball to the net. But in a more deepened sense, humanity has adapted into their personal preferences. We are all foreign to each other, yet undeniably intertwined: a paradoxical unity that ultimately separates in variation.

And so, look outside and see beyond. You don't have to travel space or use Google images to witness the vastness of matter. Here, in our own simple backyards and close to our hearts, differences are extraterrestrial. And we shall embrace such varieties.

For now, put down your telescope, and breathe the common air.