“Alone in the world.” When you hear this phrase, what comes to mind? Let’s take a second to sit on this thought.

Seeking the stars, people travel to places that escape the bright lights of civilization. In this place, let's take a second to look up at the sky and release the tension we are holding. Take a deep breath in, and tune into your senses.

First is sight. Focus on the flickering light of stars in the distance. These stars exist in spaces lightyears away from us, and it takes a very long time for this light to reach us. What we are looking at is not the stars as they currently exist, but rather how they once existed. Take Betelgeuse shimmering in the right shoulder of Orion’s belt, for example. What we see now is how the star existed over 640 years ago. However, the current star is nearly at the end of its life span and may have already been extinguished. Imagine yourself within this universe of fleeting stars and light traveling across time and space.

Next, let's focus on “sound.” The sound of the wind, the sound of waves, the chorus of living organisms surrounding us humans daily. You may not be able to see these things, but that does not mean they don’t exist. This world is not all that meets the eye. Let’s reflect and reexamine what this means to us.

Next, let’s turn our focus to “smell.” What kind of scents do you detect? It is often said that there is no smell of the “sea” here. As you arrived in the port or took in the setting sun, did you notice the way that moment “smelled” as well?

Now, put your hands on your arms and feel your skin. Despite being by the ocean, you might not feel the usual stickiness of humidity. You might not taste the usual saltiness on your lips. Just why is that? As you gaze out at the midnight ocean, what kind of connections and correlations are moving and weaving together in your brain?

As you open up to your five senses, even if you find yourself in the darkest of nights, you may start to make even more discoveries.

Once again, you are alone in the world. How do you feel now upon hearing these words? Let’s reexamine this thought using our five senses as we just practiced. What did you notice that you didn’t notice before?

It might be something that you are holding, or maybe a single person standing within an arm's reach from you. This may be the thing that is truly important to you, the true richness of the moment.