Presented Saturday, Aug 10 2024 at the Crestone Charter School.

My theme this year is Wonder of the Night Sky. I believe that wonder and awe are important for my mental health. There is something wondrous about seeing light that has traveled 2600 years from the star Deneb, and knowing that light started its journey just as ancient Athens was gettings it first taste of democracy. It is wondrous to see the Andromeda galaxy and know that light left around the time the first hominids appear in the fossil record.

Those ancient photons are absorbed in our retina and converted to electrical energy that becomes a part of our mind. We know that all the atoms of our body (save hydrogen/helium) were created by long-dead stars. We are literally made of stars, and powered by starlight.

A friend showed me his tattoo that included moon and stars on the day I created this presentation. He said that he used to experience existential dread looking up at the night sky, but that he has healed from that. I shared about my presentation. I said I consider the stars ancestors and family. I think this awareness is also essential to my continued mental health. We are not alone in the universe, we are surrounded by relatives.