I Missed the Northern Lights. Again.

I saw the aurora forecast pop up on my phone while I was in the lab, waiting for the centrifuge to finish. Everyone online was losing it—double auroras, back-to-back nights, once-in-a-lifetime. I was just trying to remember if I’d added the buffer to tube three or four. I told myself I’d leave early, drive out past the city lights, maybe see something beautiful for once. But the protocol failed. Again. So I stayed, reran it, watched the clock hit midnight, then two. The sky outside was probably on fire. I wouldn’t know. My only glow was the LED on the PCR machine. People say science is about discovery. Sometimes it’s just about missing everything else. I keep telling myself it’s worth it. I don’t know if I believe me anymore. #Science #LabBurnout #ScienceFatigue