Stardust by Karin Hedetniemi
I was rolling north on Highway 2 towards Edmonton, driving alone in the silence of the prairies, homeward bound past sleeping canola, squinting through the windshield at a field of stars.
My nearsightedness has always kept me distanced from natural, cosmic wonders. Blurring small details, pushing some visual beauty beyond my known experience.
I’d never seen a meteor shower, nor some of the distant constellations beyond the Big Dipper. Still had yet to see the Milky Way— to believe it even existed.
That would not happen until my next lifetime, in an unseen approaching world, the one where I would finally buy the expensive progressive lenses, and marry the man who would take me to the coastal dark skies of Pacific Rim National Park, the place where I would finally meet the galaxy I’d only ever seen printed on glossy paper, or pixelated online.
Now, on this prairie road, the cosmic black velvet wrapped around and through me, time slipped open, and a faraway realm revealed itself to me at long last.
I witnessed my first shooting star.
I hadn’t been seeking or questioning, just travelling those miles one-by-one with a quiet heart. But when that bright light flashed across the sky, sparking my attention, a starburst in my whole being, the sentient universe somehow answered me. Yes, you exist inside this wonder.
Author's Note:
Self-care is always coming home to myself, much the same as if returning from a long journey. It's stepping into arrivals, spotting a loved one's smile in the crowd, familiar landmarks beyond the doors. Setting down the heaviness I've carried. Exhaling relief, inhaling peace. It's a joyful reunion with my pup and garden. A hot shower, cool sheets, fresh clothes. A windy pilgrimage back to the sea. A quiet gaze up to the sentinel moon.
Karin Hedetniemi photographs and writes from Vancouver Island, Canada. Her stories and poems often weave the experiences of grief and joy with life's mysteries. Karin's creative work appears in many literary journals, including Grain, Short Reads, Lunch Ticket, and Riddle Fence. Find her at AGoldenHour.com or on Bluesky @karinhedet.
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