Shooting Star!

Shooting Stars

BY JASON C. STEINLE, DC

It was Friday afternoon and I decided to give my friend Dan a call. “Dan have you read about the meteor shower? The best time of the year to see falling stars will be this Sunday morning between 1a.m. and 3a.m. Do you remember that fourteener, Mt. Grey, we started to climb a month ago? What do you say, we drive to the base of it at 1:00 a.m., watch some of the falling stars; and then at the first light of day start the hike to the summit?” Dan agreed it sounded like a good idea.

Sunday morning arrived and we were on the road at 12:30 a.m. Dan was driving his four-wheel drive truck, which was good because where we were heading four-wheel drive was a necessity. The sky was clear and as we drove deeper into the Rocky Mountains the night darkened. Turning off of the interstate we entered onto a narrow dirt road. A light snow covered the surface of the road. We followed this rough and washed out road as it wound its way up the valley toward the trailhead. After thirty- five minutes of slipping and sliding on the road we reached the Mt. Grey trailhead, tucked in the bowels of a secluded high altitude valley. The lonely parking lot we pulled into was well sheltered from the lights of the cities and towns. It was the perfect place to watch for falling stars.

Stepping out of the truck both of us stood in wonder as shooting star after star streaked across sky. Every twenty seconds another star blazed a path through the darkness. At times two, three, even four stars went shooting across the sky at one time. Many of the stars left long streaking tails glowing behind them as they descended toward earth. This natural show was as impressive as any Fourth of July spectacular I have ever seen. Many of the shooting stars seemed so near it was surprising when they did not strike the ground next to us. For several minutes we stood gazing at the marvelous show around us. Getting up early, driving over rutted roads, enduring the frigid weather, everything seemed worth it as we stared toward the heavens.

A motor sound broke the silence of the valley. A plane? No, who would be flying a plane at this time of the day. Suddenly headlights appeared down the valley on the road we had just traveled. The sound of the motor grew louder until at last an old pick-up truck came into view. The driver sped into the parking lot and spun a “cookie” with his truck before killing the engine. Out from the cab popped a girl and two guys. They staggered around the truck and began to unload wood from the truck bed. The way they walked and slurred their speech indicated that they were obviously drunk. The peacefulness of the secluded trailhead was shattered as music blared from their stereo. They hastily piled the wood in a towering heap on the ground. Dan and I watched as the driver pulled a can of gasoline out from the truck bed and began to dose the wood and ground with gas. Then in the glow of the truck headlights he struck a match, threw it on the wood, and jumped back. Flames shot up in a mad furry, some of the flames reaching as high as eight feet. Soon a sizable bonfire was roaring and hissing in front of the truck.

The dark veil of the valley was lifted as the fire radiated light in all directions. The barrage of falling stars was now barely discernable through the camouflage of the bonfire light. Of all the times and nights that these three drunken individuals could chose to visit this remote parking lot it was an irony they chose this time and this night. Ten minutes earlier Dan and I were congratulating ourselves on our decision to visit the valley and on the action we took to get here early in the morning. Now our plan seemed like a failure. We had reached our goal only to have it obscured by the bonfire. Dan and I realized that in order to view the heavenly fireworks we would have to continue to plan and take action. We abandoned his 4 x 4 truck and hiked up the Mt. Grey trail until we were beyond the glow of the bonfire. From this new vantage point we could once again stare in wonder as the stars danced across the early morning sky.

The same thing that happened to Dan and I happens to all of us in life. We can plan, organize, and take action to reach a goal. Once we reach that goal we would like to think that all the planning, organizing, and action steps are complete. However, that is never the case. Because the world we live in is ever changing, we have to frequently adapt, adjust, and take action to continue to reach our goals. Keep this in mind next time you feel frustrated because things are not going as well as they use to go. Chances are that you may need to change your plan just a little to accommodate new challenges that have arrived!©

Jason C Steinle the host of The Steinle Show talk radio and television programs. He is a Doctor of Chiropractic and Director of Health and Harmony Chiropractic and Wellness Center in Evergreen, CO. Jason is also the author of Upload Experience: Quarterlife Solutions which is available at www.amazon.com and at www.uploadexperience.com