This letter is from the National Geographic Magazine, March 2009. It’s from comments section about an article called, “The End of Night; Why We Need Darkness“

I’m a resident of the first International Dark Sky City, and so I experience the benefits of the unpolluted night. With a light ordinance, the innate patterns of night and the need for sleep have no intrusions. We need to reduce light pollution not only for astronomy and the preservation of the natural ecosystem, but also for the health of society. Lifestyles increasingly operate 24/7. The sacred retreat of the night is lost, and with constant light infiltration, the human body loses vital rest. We need the balance of night and day just as much as our fellow creatures. Seeing only the benefits of longer workdays and artificially prolonged days ignores the negative consequences and disregards the necessity of darkness. Without night, we would burn ourselves out.

SIERRA ECKERT
Flagstaff, Arizona

Thank You. I need to tell Steve I’m a little bit DIM. I could cut my nightly medication in half. And, If there is a staff person as a reader, I would like to request an outing to see the night sky.

I would like to say a little bit about the goodness of people; in my life there are many. When I start my survey of the bounty I feel, I always have to sort of establish the convention: LOVE. I have favorites and quickly I have opened too many things. Did you think that you could do me a service in any form. I have complained a lot. There is no shortage of people who might be here to apply something else. For now though I will speak of Love.

Thank you for your visit. You should know my obstacle preventing Love into my life is in the past. I had a very intense and Loving relationship long ago. I lived as a lover and the Landlord became disenchanted with my romance. Since 1989 the obstacle has reoccurred. This last Saturday, after the NAMI Walk Fundraiser, I asked to be released from that Judgment. So, obviously I could not say enough to my good people. Please let there be satisfaction in knowing I will not discharge, nor take leave, nor disappoint my people, nor let Love go out no matter how much discussion. Love is good, and I hope there is satisfaction in knowing I want to receive Love. I am Loved.

Problems: I have many. Today my problems all seem to revolve around a staff person at home. She has had the correct thinking about me in the past, but the choices she seems to make revolve around retaliation against my illness. I have said in the past that I have a Mental Illness; I’m schizoaffective. For right now though I would like to focus on productive issues. Since my problems are brought to me from this female staff person, I have to explain about her, the trouble she brings, and the difficulties.

The other day I caved in and graced her with my company as she would need to pass medications. I showed up early to the common area where the medications are dispensed as a form of support. Since I was early, I was required to establish a need as a necessary reason for being present. I asked for a meal just to play along when I didn’t want anything at all. And, I was realizing that my good faith was checked while being reminded that there existed a plethora of chronic problems with her. She told me that the meal was for someone else, there would be no dinner, and that I was required to leave the common area to join the residents waiting outside for the medication time to pass. When I got outside I realized that the person which I have to deal with is a totally irrational female, that all her prejudices about me were wrong, and her various flaws of her person couldn’t possibly be my fault. I told the community of residents outside that I was sorry. I said sorry because I know that when a person has a problem, it is better just to have the correct response even though I know that there is another kind of thinking that addresses issues productively.