I am in New York City. It is nighttime, but the brilliant lights of Times Square completely illuminate the intertwining network of taxicab filled streets. A mix of sirens, whistles, and honks blend with the sound of tires squealing, pigeons flapping, people shouting, and enormous television sets blaring, creating an amazing orchestra of puzzlement and exhilaration. The smells of an assortment of interesting foods and the exhaust of cars compose the common stench of the city. The busy hubbub of people heaves past me with someplace to go, but I just stand gazing directly up into the heavy black night, where the skyscrapers end but the open space above is limitless. The cold northern wind chills my skin and unlocks my imagination, and I begin to visualize the infinite possibilities of life…
I am in Farsund, Norway. It is almost nighttime, but the soft gleaming light from the rising summer moon gives the mountainous landscape a gentle blue glow that lasts all night. The remains of the sun peek over the peaks of mountains in the distance. I am sitting on the stony ledge alongside the fjord, my toes dangling just above the water’s calm, cool surface. The perfect, flawless, pure, clean air fills my eager lungs, magnifying the wonder of my existence and nourishing my imagination. A fresh, gentle breeze lets the faint sound of the annual carnival drift across the water, and the sound of children’s musical laughter brightens the night. The comforting tune of tranquility allows my mind to silently wander, stretching far beyond the fjord and the expansive ocean beyond to the starlit heavens above me…