The Magic of Glow-In-The-Dark Stars

I remember having glow in the dark star stickers on my bedroom ceiling when I was young. I remember laying in bed at night just staring at their glow, wide-eyed late into the night. I would keep still under the sheets waiting. The awe I felt while watching these glowing stars twinkle would be the same feeling I would have when I stayed out at night in the countryside as a child.

Staring, my chest would swell up with joy and wonder at the night sky. I couldn’t help but marvel at what was presented above me. Sometimes, I would wish for a shooting star to cut across the darkness of my ceiling so I could make a wish.

I know. I was a quirky kid. Wishing for a wish.

I fondly remember the day when I first found out about these luminous stickers. I got them as a Christmas present from my parents. They knew how fascinated I was by all things outer space. Opening the presents on Christmas morning brought me such joy! To bring the stars indoors, in my bedroom, for me to enjoy whenever I want. It was a dream!

My parents let me arrange the stickers into constellations, galaxies, even into hidden messages on my walls and ceiling. It felt like I was creating my own little world (and I guess I was). Sometimes, I would even imagine myself as a space explorer, going where no man has gone before.

I have my own kids now, and living in the city makes it hard for them to see the stars at night. There’s just too much light pollution. We don’t get to visit much of the countryside either due to a little something called work. But being the good parent that I am I want them to have the same sense of awe I did when I was a kid. I don’t want them to miss out on that.

So if I can’t bring them to the stars, I’ll bring the stars to them!

Thank heavens for those geniuses who invented these glow in the dark stickers.

As corny as it sounds, these small pieces of hope have made my dark days a little brighter. If those stars could talk though, boy - the stories they would tell.

I guess now that I’m older, I realize how precious those opportunities were; the chance of experiencing the magic of staring up in space and feeling as though there are a million sparkling eyes looking back. Some even winking at me as if to say I’ll be alright, and that the future is bright.

Don’t get me wrong, even back then I knew how special it was to have that fantastic, stellar view. My appreciation has grown even more now that I don’t get to see it as often as I’d like.

For now, my kids will get the next best thing. A room filled with stars and, hopefully, a mind full of wishes.