Flying from Busan, South Korea to Hong Kong, I witnessed the most beautiful moment.

It was an evening flight, and the hot sun dipped below the horizon many hours ago. The plane was hovering over Taiwan, under a clear sky, but beside some storm clouds in the distance.

From my window seat I could see the yellow lights lining the city streets, like veins of gold blood. The veins flowed sporadically from the countryside to collect in large pools of warm yellow light in the city center. The night’s sky revealed dozens of white stars, as if a child tossed diamonds into the air. They twinkled gently, as if sharing a secret with me. The folded hands of the nearby storm cloud held a lighting storm, and occasionally burst with a fierce white and yellow light, like celestial explosions.

The unlikely combination of these events took my breath away, calmed my fear of flight, and forced me to burst into tears to release my gratitude for being present.

I am alive.