Friday, June 06, 2008

My Nights

If left to my own devices – no job or early morning commitments – I'd be up most nights until dawn.

I'm a night person. I like the solitude. I like the stillness. I like the wrap-around black coziness and the inky-black eeriness; the disconnectedness that sometimes leads to hidden and surprising insights to my soul. Perhaps, these insights were there all along, submerged below the surface of my daytime consciousness – unable to break through because of the noise and clutter of everyday life. I don't know.

What I do know is that those niggling, back of the brain feelings ignored during the day because I'm too busy or too pre-occupied, break out full blown at night. The solution to problems, so unanswerable during the day, becomes obvious and self-evident at night. Thoughts and feelings, long ago forgotten become unforgotten.

At night, all things seem possible. The line between reality and dream; conscious and sub-conscious thin and fade in those late-night hours. At 4 a.m. there's a surreal feeling of floating in another dimension while the rest of the household is snug asleep in their beds.

Maybe, late at night, I enter a dream state and only think I'm awake – in reality, walking around zombie-like. It doesn't matter. I'm convinced my late nights keep me sane.


Another Sunday Scribblings post

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

I find night people fascinating (I'm married to one). This is a nice piece that reflects many wonderful things about the night. I have been awake at the hour when it feels like another dimension. Nice piece.

Anonymous said...

Mmm. I know what you mean. I tend to want to stay up till two am, naturally, but then I need to sleep in late which I never get to do. Bad combination. I'm then walking around like a zombie in the daytime!

Anonymous said...

I think you've articulated very well what it is that makes me stay up later than I should at times. It is almost like slipping into another dimension.

Anonymous said...

That's exactly how I feel except you expressed it better. How eloquent!

I love night. Now that I'm retired, I go to bed around 1 or 2 and sleep until around 9 or sometimes later if I am up until 3 or so - take a nap later. It's nice to know that I can live at my own pace and enjoy it so much.

After all those years of being on the time schedule of others, it's wonderful to be able to enjoy night again without paying for it the next day.

Wonderful post - as usual! Oh, btw, last night I dreamed we talked on the phone and that it was something we were used to doing since it wasn't a big deal but comfortable. Nice dream. :-)

Anonymous said...

There are more night owls out there than I thought. :)

Joy, what were we talking about?

Anonymous said...

Beautifully written! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment for me.

Anonymous said...

How wonderful that nights are therapeutic for you!
I think your hypothesis about the day clutter not allowing for thoughts to emerge just might be right. How can we really think clearly in the middle of the bus, mobile ringing, mentally doing a checklist of what we have to do? I can't ;)

Anonymous said...

my days are my own to think and do whatever i please, yet for some reason my mind goes into overdrive when night, my great escape, tries to capture me with blessed sleep - go figure!!!

Anonymous said...

My favourite time is between 1 and 3am. I find everything becomes clearer in my mind. Words flow with ease. All is silent and the night is all mine.

Anonymous said...

ummmm, this is wonderful.
I love the way you write, the words you choose, the way you embrace your night.

Anonymous said...

Love it. I love to stay up all night as well, its why in Korea I took a job that started at 2 30 in the afternoon. I could stay up as late as I wanted and never worry about it interfering with my day.

Now not so much. :-( But i hope that changes again next month!

Anonymous said...

What a great perspective on being a night person! I like the peace of the wee hours. I'd like to think I do my best writing then when I don't have interruptions like phone calls.

Anonymous said...

I can't remember what we were talking about, Ell. All I could recall was the beginning of the conversation and how comfortable it was.

Anonymous said...

How eloquent your writing is! I’ve discovered a new blog to read here. You’ve encaptured the beauty of night time, and oh how I too wish I could indulge in my late night creativity more often, without being a wreck the next day.
thanks

Anonymous said...

oh my gosh, that is exactly how it is... use to sleep thru the night and just recently these past few years i have awakened to the night.. the hours of 3-4 am nirvana.. when my mind is still and reflective.. instead of chattering away at this and that..

Anonymous said...

when I was young, my profession often required me to stay up late working...
now that I'm in the middle way,
I enjoy my power of staying up late, though the global connections I have have eroded my sense of night and day as separate conditions