I would generally consider myself a city person. I like the walkability of cities, the goings-on, the diversity, the scale, etc. But I must be honest, and I admit that I enjoy a trip to the country just as well. It’s a great feeling to get the city fumes out of your lungs and enjoy some of the tranquility that rural spaces have to offer. Earlier last month, I was fortunate to enjoy some of that quietude as I spent a week in Prince Edward Island. But it’s not just about leaving the urban rat-race: probably one of the biggest drawbacks to living in a city, in my opinion, is that you can’t see many (if any) stars at night. I was incredibly fortunate, then, not only to get a taste for the brilliant view of the night sky from my mother’s cottage on the north-west coast of the island, but to be there for a meteor shower. I saw 20-something shooting stars that night, some of them with incredible tails. I could see the milky way, too, and I make out the northern lights at a distance (however faintly).

You wouldn’t be able to see any of this in cities, of course. There’s too much light pollution. No, when you stare up at the sky from where I live, downtown Toronto, all you’ll see are the tops of buildings. That doesn’t mean there aren’t any good views. Near me, there is a park that gives an exquisite view of the city from across the Don Valley: it feels almost like you’re outside the city looking in from a distance, but of course you haven’t left. There is a fair bit of natural scenery in the Valley as well, and it looks gorgeous! But it also got me thinking about what this area used to be like, before human beings built their buildings and converted the once-natural forests into ones made of brick and concrete and glass. In stark contrast to the tranquil countryside of PEI, therefore, cities are a dis-harmony with nature and stand as testaments to mankind’s technical prowess rather than nature’s beauty.

Putting these two scenes in comparison, I am astounded by how absolutely mind-bogglingly big the cosmos truly is. I mean, we’re a cosmic speck! It really is amazing but also entertaining to muse about what (or who) else is out there. I think perhaps this is why I enjoy being able to see the stars. When the night sky is so clear, freed of unnatural light, I am reminded of how truly small my city is. And believe it or not, I find that comforting. The world is so much bigger than all our own concerns and notions, and there really is no pressure to change any of that. We impose so much of our own anxieties on ourselves, but it is possible, if we pay attention, to let those melt away and simply enjoy the beauty of our cosmic neighbourhood.