Once upon a time, there was a university student. Although she worked very hard all semester and spent about a month living in the library, even that was not enough to conquer the mountain of assignments and exams in the dreaded final season of university. Last night, she stayed up until past 4 am and still finds herself very behind. However, this university student was fortunate in that she loved the nighttime, because she loved the dark and the quiet and the isolation that came with it. As a result, she often found that she was more productive working once night had fallen (or else just cared less as her brain grew more and more foggy). As her brain is still foggy, all she could think of for a blog post was the possibility of being nocturnal.
Here is what I would do:
1. I would spend hours just sitting under the moon and the stars. If there were clouds, I'd watch them pass by, obscuring the moon with their shadowy translucence. The nighttime is so much more beautiful than the day. Of course, I'd always spend time with my friend Orion each night (which is my favourite constellation), even if I couldn't stay for long.
2. I would write. I would take advantage of the fact that I was the only one awake and just let my imagination run wild. Personally, I think one of the best parts of the night is that people leave you alone, so you can just spend time knowing that you won't be disturbed and you can just think and create.
3. I would sing outside. Daylight makes you feel so exposed, but imagine this: you walk out into the middle of a field in the country and you sit down in the grass (with a blanket if you're allergic to grass like me). Then you just look up at the sky and realize how small you are, shiver a little bit, and enjoy the quiet of night. You feel as though you're the only person in the world and, because you're so alone, you feel safe. Then you open your mouth and sing to the sky or to whatever God you believe in, and just let your voice fill the night.
4. I'd hike to the top of mountains to watch the sunrise. Hiking in the dark can be a little bit cold, but it's totally worth it when you watch pink and gold wash over the horizon.
5. I'd lay in bed and think. Again, I love how the dark sets my imagination off.
6. I'd read so much. I'd let stories carry me away like I wouldn't have time to do in the day.
7. I'd spend some time with some nocturnal animals. We fostered kittens this Fall, and let me tell you, the second the sun went down, those cats were energetic enough that you'd think they drank about 10 cups of coffee. They'd run from one end of the apartment to the other, using me as a springboard. I'd want to join in the fun!
8. I'd play the first movement of the Moonlight Sonata. Yes, yes, I know it's a bit of a cliché. However, that piece is famous for a reason. Those harmonies hurt my heart (in a good way) and I'd love to send them out to the moon.
9. I'd clean the entire apartment and cook a million things to surprise my sister when she woke up.
10. I'd go on a road trip by myself (or maybe with a friend). Can you imagine how lovely it would be to travel all through the night?
Have I mentioned that I love nighttime? It's the perfect time of day. The only thing that can spoil it is homework and studying.
Winter is truly a great season. I don't know what it's like where the rest of you live, but up here, it gets dark very, very early. According to a website, at the moment, here in Halifax we have sun from about 7:40 to 4:30 (just under 9 hours) and at home in Edmonton, they have sun from 8:40 to 4:15 (about 7.5 hours). Yes, Edmonton is pretty far North (in fact, we're the furthest north city in North America with over 1 million people living there - fun fact!). I'm always presently surprised when I go home for Christmas. We spend a lot of time in the dark during the Winter, and it's such a blessing. It really makes it worth the freezing cold weather!
-Laura
No comments:
Post a Comment