Our family has been lucky enough to enjoy the luxury of vacations. Thanks to my parents' hard work, my siblings and I have had the opportunity to visit various different locations, from New York City to Disney World, Chicago to Myrtle Beach. I love the time we get to spend with each other, but I can't help growing bored of all the landmark sightseeing and beaches.

We've been to a lot of beaches (Myrtle, Hilton Head, Orange Beach, Outer Banks, Cocoa Beach, etc.) and at this point, I don't even know if I like them anymore. Perhaps this has something to say about my dormant, blue light-filled lifestyle, though in contrast to that, what I really want to do is sit in the shadows of the stars.

Please note that I am very grateful for the position I am in. I recognize the priveledges my family and I have and I am so thankful for being able to spend time with my loving family no matter where we go. I do not mean to flaunt my opportunities; rather, I want to share my dream with you.

Light pollution is such a norm for me that even with the aid of high definition photography, I have no concept for what a clear sky can show me. Sometimes in Dayton, I could see maybe a couple dozen bright stars. Usually, I was never able to find any constellations.

The view is better at home, but I still get a sense that I'm missing something big. Something more wonderful than Saturn or the dippers are out there and I want to see them with my own eyes. I want to get to know our home galaxy past the brightest stars peeking through our human stains.

So I want to go out west or wherever has a really great view. Maybe we get an RV, maybe we camp in tents - it doesn't matter much for me. I could bring a telescope and try to get a really good view of something. We could visit an observatory and see far beyond whats possible for our naked eyes.

I just want to sit in the shadows of the stars.