The difference of seeing the northern lights at home

I’ve seen the northern lights several times over the past few years in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

On a dock in Big Manistique Lake, all the lights artificial lights turned off, the stars bright and solar winds dancing, a treat of being Up North.

While there’s something adventurous about traveling far away to see a natural wonder like this, it’s even more transformative when they appear at home.

This weekend, we’re getting one of the largest aurora borealis events in the past 20 years. I didn’t think they would be visible here, but when it became dark, I went out the front door, looked north and saw nothing, standing there like an annoyed parent waiting for their kid out past curfew.

A few minutes later, I walked onto the sidewalk and turned around -- there they were, to the south, visible to the naked eye, bright masses of red, green and blue, like an old MacOS wallpaper.

This never happens at our location, especially in an urban area with light pollution, but they were the most vibrant lights I’ve seen.

I took a couple pictures and then put the leash on our 16-year-old dog outside so she could come outside and experience them. I don’t think she noticed anything, besides the smells in the yard, but being able to experience it with her, in our yard, is a memory I will forever cherish.

Sometimes, we have to travel far and wide to experience natural wonders, but other times we’re lucky to experience them in our backyard.

Most of us live our lives in the same rooms, on the same streets, in the same town. We become accustomed to our surroundings. But we need to be present and attentive to the changes around us so we can understand the changes that happen within us.

I use my camera just not to create images, but to look at the world in a different way each day. This was the most bold and visible example of this. I will never look at the place we live in the same light again.