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An enlightening experience sparked by the Northern Lights

In Ontario, where I grew up, the most exciting things that you saw in the sky at night were airplanes, smoke stacks, tall buildings and a few stars.

In Ontario, where I grew up, the most exciting things that you saw in the sky at night were airplanes, smoke stacks, tall buildings and a few stars. On Saturday night I was lucky enough to experience the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis as I was driving home from town. A friend had pointed them out to me in town but honestly it just looked liked some clouds so I just forgot about it, until I was driving home and there was a truck stopped in the middle of the road. This made me wonder and I slowed down and saw the lit up sky

I called a friend on my cell phone and I was jumping up and down outside my car and told her that she had to go outside and check out the light show in the sky. I even offered to come into town and pick her up so she could see them from outside of town. She declined and she later told me that this is a very common occurrence in Alberta. I even texted another friend and they soon also realized that I was probably experiencing this for the first time and they had also seen it many times before.

For me this was the first time I have ever seen the Northern Lights. I called my fiancée back in Ontario and asked him if he could see them and he said no (I am not a scientist I don’t know who can see them or not and I had to let him know just in case). Although he could not see them he was extremely happy that I had seen them for the first time.

Once I arrived home the show really started as I went out into my backyard and stared up into the sky, I loved every cold second. There was a giant green wave in the air that illuminated the sky and quickly danced around my head. Then suddenly there was a wave of fuchsia that outlined the green and the movement slowed down and developed into a gentle wave that you could watch across the sky. The colour then changed again into a deep solid red that shot across the sky and dazzled the night. It lit up the whole sky and I didn’t want to look away, everywhere I turned there was something different in the sky.

Alberta continues to knock my socks off and surprise me at every turn I take in the bending road ahead of me. Seeing something like the Northern Lights stunned me, it was absolutely amazing. I hope that if you have not seen the Northern Lights that you are someday lucky enough to view the incredible show that they put on. March to April and September to October are prime-viewing periods for the Aurora Borealis so next time you are driving home, stop and take a look up into the sky, you never know what you will see.

Relaxing

Watching the Northern Lights was one of the most relaxing and exciting times I have had in a long time. Taking time to relax is sometimes something that is taken for granted. With Winter/Spring/School or March Break soon upon us it is important for people to remember to take time and relax.

A 2007 study by Ipsos-Reid reported that one-third of working Canadians feel they don’t get enough vacation, 41 per cent of Albertans said that they felt vacation deprived, with British Columbia leading with 43 per cent.

According to the study, those who skipped vacations said it wasn’t because they were under pressure from their boss, three-quarters said that their employers actually encouraged them to take all of their vacation days. The poll also found that 34 per cent of Canadians regularly work more than 40 hours per week, 30 per cent feel stressed during vacations, 28 per cent feel guilty about taking time off and 18 per cent still check work messages when they are supposed to be out in the sun or watching a championship basketball game or skiing.

Vacations are supposed to be a fun time to be with family and friends. These are the times that memories are made whether it is the counting of license plates or the cry of ‘are we there yet?’ or trying to search down your luggage (please don’t lose mine again!), these are what vacations are made of. Everyone needs time to relax, it is needed to re-energize yourself, de-stress and give you a new perspective on your life. As your holidays approach remember to plan ahead and enjoy every moment. See you in about a week, happy vacation everyone!