It took me 40+ years to appreciate the stars

FoxMcChief

Gold Member
Ok. I'm a little buzzed.

I lived in Southern California the first 42 years of my life. I recently retired early to Arizona where the lifestyle is at a much slower pace and everything is cheaper. We sold our old CA home and made a 105% profit.

I'm sitting by my pool looking up at stars at my new home that I wasn't able to see in CA. I'm not too proud to to admit that the sky/stars are bringing tears to my eyes. It's absolutely amazing to look at.

Sadly I haven't been able to see much of this world with my own two eyes. I think the only other landmark I've seen in person was the Grand Canyon, and its beauty too brought tears to my eyes. Maybe I'm a lot more emotional than I thought if just looking at the stars or than Grand Canyon can bring tears to my eyes.
 
Ok. I'm a little buzzed.

I lived in Southern California the first 42 years of my life. I recently retired early to Arizona where the lifestyle is at a much slower pace and everything is cheaper. We sold our old CA home and made a 105% profit.

I'm sitting by my pool looking up at stars at my new home that I wasn't able to see in CA. I'm not too proud to to admit that the sky/stars are bringing tears to my eyes. It's absolutely amazing to look at.

Sadly I haven't been able to see much of this world with my own two eyes. I think the only other landmark I've seen in person was the Grand Canyon, and its beauty too brought tears to my eyes. Maybe I'm a lot more emotional than I thought if just looking at the stars or than Grand Canyon can bring tears to my eyes.

You might also find not all of them are stars, Venus, Mars & Jupiter are often visible and if it's really dark and you've got good eyes, look for the smudge under Orion's belt (Orion Nebula) & also try to find Andromeda (Galaxy).
 
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While I'm a little sad to be done working
I can understand this in a way but if I could retire now I would. Life is for living, sounds like you have a very nice lifestyle built up, enjoy it life is too short to work, work, work.

Nature is beautiful and I would spend way more time out there if I could rather than being stuck in an office/home in front of a computer where my "skills" are.

Games are fun but some of the most poignant moments in my life are when I've been in nature and being able to think and reflect.
 
What I make of this is the following: You've done pretty well for yourself and now you can finally enjoy life at your own pace. Good for you, man!
 
I can understand this in a way but if I could retire now I would. Life is for living, sounds like you have a very nice lifestyle built up, enjoy it life is too short to work, work, work.

Nature is beautiful and I would spend way more time out there if I could rather than being stuck in an office/home in front of a computer where my "skills" are.

Games are fun but some of the most poignant moments in my life are when I've been in nature and being able to think and reflect.
Touching grass is unironically great. Went camping with my family about a month ago, barely used my phone the entire time, even shit like sitting on the beach and digging a fuck off hole with my hands seemed fun.
 
Touching grass is unironically great. Went camping with my family about a month ago, barely used my phone the entire time, even shit like sitting on the beach and digging a fuck off hole with my hands seemed fun.
Totally bro.

I took the kids to the lake last week and wore goggles for the first time. That was a sight too. Just so cool. Creepy too, as I got into the deeper part of the lake. The underwater vegetation was giving me creepy Last of Us spore vibes, lol.
 
Ok. I'm a little buzzed.

I lived in Southern California the first 42 years of my life. I recently retired early to Arizona where the lifestyle is at a much slower pace and everything is cheaper. We sold our old CA home and made a 105% profit.

I'm sitting by my pool looking up at stars at my new home that I wasn't able to see in CA. I'm not too proud to to admit that the sky/stars are bringing tears to my eyes. It's absolutely amazing to look at.

Sadly I haven't been able to see much of this world with my own two eyes. I think the only other landmark I've seen in person was the Grand Canyon, and its beauty too brought tears to my eyes. Maybe I'm a lot more emotional than I thought if just looking at the stars or than Grand Canyon can bring tears to my eyes.

Jesus m8 wait till you travel and see the world outside of America, having said that i've seen the Grand Canyon and it is indeed spectacular
 
Yeah, just simply sitting with a cup of coffe at midnight a cold frosty winternight looking at the stars and letting the mind go is something that is amazing. Gives me the chills just thinking about it. I have been fortunate to travel some in Europe(Lives in Sweden) Finland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and Greece, and its awsome but it also makes me appreciate what i have(not that i find the other countrys bad or anything). Love to go to USA and Japan someday, next goal. Today we will do a small roadtrip in Sweden over the day, there is much to see just around the corner to, some fishing also on the agenda. Cheers!
 
I have reverse experience. When I'm 5-7 years old, my city was not too developed that I can see hundred of stars every night. Now the light pollution are so bad, I can only see Orion belt, Venus and some other stars to the count of tenth on clear wrather. I miss them
 
Congratulation on the early retirement FoxMcChief FoxMcChief , I wish you all the best. There's nothing weird or weak about getting emotional when faced with the beauty of the universe or our planet. I get emotional just looking at mountains. I wish I could spend more time in nature and less in front of the screen.
 
Now figure out how sailors could look up at the stars and be like, "Aye we are moving in the right direction".

Stars are amazing and being in a place without light pollution is truly amazing.
 
Ok. I'm a little buzzed.

I lived in Southern California the first 42 years of my life. I recently retired early to Arizona where the lifestyle is at a much slower pace and everything is cheaper. We sold our old CA home and made a 105% profit.

I'm sitting by my pool looking up at stars at my new home that I wasn't able to see in CA. I'm not too proud to to admit that the sky/stars are bringing tears to my eyes. It's absolutely amazing to look at.

Sadly I haven't been able to see much of this world with my own two eyes. I think the only other landmark I've seen in person was the Grand Canyon, and its beauty too brought tears to my eyes. Maybe I'm a lot more emotional than I thought if just looking at the stars or than Grand Canyon can bring tears to my eyes.
The current estimates is that there are 1000-100,000 stars in the Universe for every INSECT! on Earth (or 10,000 stars for every grain of sand on Earth!). Let that sink in…
 
OP, if you ever get the chance, go to Yellowstone National Park and camp or stay in one of the lodges in there. lake side one if possible. you'll see some very beautiful stary night skies and wake up to a wonderful sunrise.
 
Get one of those motorized telescopes and start taking pics. Guy I know has one and just from his backyard in Las Vegas can capture AMAZING shots.

Maybe you can turn into this guy :P

 
I feel you, OP.
Lived once in a very rural area and could see the Milky Way from my balcony. It shows you how small we really are. Bought a tiny telescope and showed my son the moons of Jupiter.
Now travel as much as you can! My grandparents did that when they retired. Africa, Asia, South America .. they´ve been nearly everywhere and we kids had to endure the dia show afterwards.
 
I remember my first time noticing them. Living in central Cali has tons of light pollution and dust from farmers so you only see the big stars but went camping at 8,600 feet and had to pee at night. Once I got out of our tent and saw the milkyway, I was in awe.
 
Ok. I'm a little buzzed.

I lived in Southern California the first 42 years of my life. I recently retired early to Arizona where the lifestyle is at a much slower pace and everything is cheaper. We sold our old CA home and made a 105% profit.

I'm sitting by my pool looking up at stars at my new home that I wasn't able to see in CA. I'm not too proud to to admit that the sky/stars are bringing tears to my eyes. It's absolutely amazing to look at.

Sadly I haven't been able to see much of this world with my own two eyes. I think the only other landmark I've seen in person was the Grand Canyon, and its beauty too brought tears to my eyes. Maybe I'm a lot more emotional than I thought if just looking at the stars or than Grand Canyon can bring tears to my eyes
I hail from Southern Mississippi and was able to look out onto the dark skies over the Gulf of Mexico, beautiful sight that I miss. You could make out Andromeda with the naked eye, if it was in the right spot in the sky. I have 3 reflector telescopes (one big dobsonian) and now that I live in SoCal, they never get used.
 
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On a clear sky night, the stars have a unique pinpoint light, its amazing the distances involved that it travels so far and yet is still so bright.
 
If you can get away from light polution... ands it's a nice night.. I could stare at the stars for hours.
Yeah, it's truly something else.

Fun fact about the Milky Way galaxy: It takes light roughly 26,000 years to reach us from the center of the galaxy. Or in other terms, if you we saw an explosion in the center it would have happened 26k years ago.
 
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Yeah, it's truly something else.

Fun fact about the Milky Way galaxy: It takes light roughly 26,000 years to reach us from the center of the galaxy. Or in other terms, if you we saw an explosion in the center it would have happened 26k years ago.
My man. I'm just the right amount of tipsy for that info.
 
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