Winter is definitely not our favorite time of year. We tend to think the bears have the right idea: Bundle up and hibernate.
But when we can dodge the threat of snow and ice, the cold does a wonderful job of clearing the air, unveiling a magical view of the night sky.
Few sights are more impressive than countless stars twinkling brightly in the depthless blackness of space, and few places in modern America get a clearer view than we do at home in Henderson.
Those poor folks down in Raleigh and Durham can’t hardly see the stars for all the light pollution pouring from the ground. But we get the kind of pure view that inspired the ancient Greeks to dream of gods and monsters and astronomy and philosophy.
This isn’t our cue to wax poetic about infinite possibilities or about how insignificant our problems today are in the grand scheme of things. We’re interested in a much more down-to-earth point.
We often focus on the negatives around here, or we latch onto such complex positives as the water system and the highways. But let’s not forget the simple pleasures that come from living beyond the hustle and bustle of the Triangle, such as looking up at the night sky on a crisp winter night and seeing stars forever.