Aurora Borealis

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Two weeks ago, my wife and I saw the Aurora Borealis while visiting our son and his family in Fairbanks, Alaska. This was an awesome Christmas Eve gift, making us truly blessed to have experienced this phenomenon. My wife checked it off her bucket list!

This natural light display, I learned from one video and online research, is caused by three factors: solar winds, the earth’s atmosphere, and the earth’s magnetic field.

Allow me to explain it in simple terms.

Solar winds are generated from storms on the sun. The stronger the sun storms, the more powerful these solar winds are. When the storms take place, charged solar particles shoot out from the sun into space. Some of these particles reach us here on earth, 93 million miles away from the sun.

When these charged solar particles enter the earth’s atmosphere, drawn by the earth’s magnetic field, that’s when the magic happens–ionization! Basically, these particles interact with the gases in the earth’s atmosphere–oxygen and nitrogen–and produce the different colors: oxygen produces the green hints, while nitrogen brings out the blues or reds. A similar smaller process happens in our neon signs.

That night, I remember one moment, when somewhere from the horizon, a green streak popped out and then weaved through the sky, like a painter doodling with his brush on a canvass. Voilà! The magnificence and beauty of the Northern Lights was in full display!

As I think about that experience and link it to our life’s journey, I draw some parallels. As we journey on and “paint” on our life’s canvass, we need three ingredients: faith, vision, and grit.

Faith — this is our “solar winds”, if you will. During the very difficult times in my life, when I was overwhelmed with life’s pressures and wanted to give up, it was my faith that gave me the strength to take the next step. Oftentimes, I tell my wife, that if it weren’t for my faith, I wouldn’t be where I’m at today! My faith is the “wind in my sails”.

Vision — this is the “atmosphere” in our life. Just as the earth’s atmosphere is the “playground” where the sun’s charged particles create those colors, our vision in life allows us to see where we are headed. It helps us weigh whether a decision we are about to make takes us closer to our goals or not. When we keep our vision always before us, we keep from being distracted and pursuing the wrong things in life. A final note on this: it is important to regularly check our vision–to see if what we’ve set is still true and meaningful. Life’s circumstances always change. So we may need to tweak it or come up with a new vision altogether.

Grit — this is the “magnetic field” in our life. Grit is defined as “courage and resolve; strength of character” (Oxford Languages). Merriam-Webster expounds that it is the “firmness of mind or spirit : unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger.” When I think of grit, I think of my maternal grandfather, Joaquin/”Lolo Jack”! At one point in his life, when he was so poor, he reportedly remarked, “Now that we’re at the bottom, there’s no other way but up!” His resolve got him through life’s difficult circumstances. Our grit keeps us grounded when we encounter hardship. Each time I think of giving up, I think of my Lolo Jack. Then I take a deep breath, buckle down, draw strength from my faith, keep my vision in front of me again, and take the next step forward!

As we start the new year, let’s commit to check where we’re heading, to draw strength, and to keep moving forward!

Note: The three pictures on the Aurora Borealis are mine, taken on 12/24/2020, at 3AM. Thanks to Janet @ Alaska Grizzly Lodge for the one with me and my wife.