Jonathan Meyer.

Tuesday night was pretty uneventful, at least that’s how it started. I finished some meetings and work, but still had piles of homework and a bit of work for my actual job. I was walking back across campus to my dorm on the far side of everything (I’m convinced I live the farthest from anything at this college) when I started noticing all the chatter online about the Northern Lights.

I had heard of them being visible in Iowa before, but never took it seriously. As I pulled the door open to my building, I looked up and saw a giant streak of red across the sky. For a split second, I thought I was witnessing something straight out of the Book of Revelation. But after a brief moment of fear and repentance, I connected the dots, I realized it was real. The Northern Lights.

My first thought wasn’t to take a picture or post about it–it was Chris. My roommate. The guy who keeps me sane, laughing, and grounded. Tonight, though, was not a night for staying grounded. I sprinted down the stairs, threw open our door, and yelled, “Chris, come outside! It’s the Northern Lights!”

He didn’t even look up from his phone at first. “What, Jon?” he said.

“Yeah, dude. The Northern Lights. Outside!”

After a quick explanation and an even quicker change from shorts to light pants, he came running outside in nothing but tennis shoes, a flannel, and pure excitement. Together we stood in the cold, looking north at the reds and greens lighting up the sky. Our neighbor Nellie came out, too, and we all just stood there, in awe.

To paint a picture: our dorm complex has a few small rails around the sides of the courtyard in front–all about three feet tall. In our excitement, Chris and I hopped over one and started running toward the cross-country course, the darkest place we could think of. This was the first real run we’ve shared in months since Chris got injured. Somehow, it felt right that it happened chasing color in the night sky.

Before long, there were nearly ten of us out there at 9:30 p.m.–a mix of yelling, laughing, photographing, and lying in an empty field of grass watching the sky. Some went back to their homework (as I probably should have), but the rest of us decided we needed an even better view.

We headed further north, to a small park where we do Tuesday workouts–a campground closed off with a gate. Now, I’m never one for admitting crimes in the newspaper, but let’s just say someone may have moved a log, and someone may have driven into the park for a better vantage point. And let’s also say, purely hypothetically, that the view wasn’t that great and said individuals returned home shortly after.

All in all, it was a magical night. Somehow, a streak of light in the sky brought together a bunch of college kids from California, Illinois, Texas, and even Iowa City (which might as well be its own state). Who would’ve thought that a cosmic light show could do that?

Until our next mostly legal, lightshow adventure, I’m just Jonathan.