Thursday Nights

I used to avoid the small man-made path up the side of the hill upon which "The 30s" sat.  I avoided it during the day for fear of mud and ice (depending on season) and I avoided it at night because it is not particularly well lit.  The woods is off to the left and apartments are up above as you practically scale a small cliff.  It was creepy. 

Then a week ago I was walking home around 8 o'clock chatting on my cell with Dad who says "If you're still outside, look for Orion and to his left is Sirius, a brilliantly bright star."  I had my doubts of seeing Sirius or Orion as Ithaca's campus is the brightest place outside of NYC (though I'm not complaining. The well-lit campus makes me feel safe especially when I have late classes).   As I neared the end of the path I was on I noticed the thin path through the snow going up the hill.  I decided to try out the path and I looked up at the sky.  The stars were brilliant!  Orion was standing right in front of me in all his mightiness and off to the left... well, off to the left I saw lots of stars, but I picked out the brightest one and named it Sirius. 

Tonight as I walked home with the melodic tones of "Dide Ta Deo" in my mind I once again took that path up the side of the hill and looked at the stars.  They once again shone down with vibrancy and made me smile in awe of the vast galaxy beyond us.