I am most comfortable alone, at night, in nature with visible sky. I don’t know when this began, but before puberty, once everyone else was asleep and all lights were out, I would look out my second-story window to see the night sky. But the angle was wrong. As I grew older, climbing as high as I could in a tree and lying prone provided better access. As an adult, beaches, open fields, and rocky elevations were sought; flat roofs accepted. Living in cities, whenever access could be found, the unfathomable distance of stars and planets brought peace. Each stage of the moon offers its own legends and graphic pleasures. Meteors are a rare, but welcome interruption in any evening. Mixing sounds — waves, animals, birds, insects (preferably not mosquitoes) offer variety. I’m rarely afraid; I can block out other humans if I need to and am only disconcerted if they assume that I need company. Sometimes I am agitated when I arrive and seek peace or I need the mysterious power of starlit skies to think something through or, maybe, I want the slow engagement of stars appearing and disappearing amid drifting clouds. All stars are my North Star.