I’ve seen shooting stars at the oddest times, just because I happened to glance up at the nighttime sky. While I’m not a habitual star-gazer or astronomer, I do like to watch the sky from time to time, musing on how very small we all are in the grand scheme of the universe. Those sudden flashes that streak across the sky and extinguish themselves are oddly comforting, because they give me the impression that we may be more important as individuals than appearances may suggest.