I Love The Night

The house is quiet. I’ve convinced myself when it’s this quiet I can hear the electricity in the walls. I hear something at a very low volume. Real or imagined? Can’t tell.

Every once in a while someone will see me on Twitter or Facebook at 3:00 or 4:00 AM and make a comment. Most of the time it’s something along the lines of, “What are you doing up at this hour?”

It’s when I’m up. It’s my choice. I’m nocturnal.

I’m not sure what it is about this quiet and desolation but it calls me like a Siren.

“What were you doing up ’til 4:00 AM,” Helaine has asked?

Nothing important. Nothing earth shattering. Lots of reading. Moderate amounts of procrastination.

I’m a voracious reader though usually not books. I read with depth about technology, business and politics. Everything else gets skimmed.

I favor websites with depth that are updated often. I bore easily.

TV gets a little thin this time of day. Much of basic cable goes into infomercial mode. Mostly the TV is off or if it’s on it’s on mute.

The house is quiet. I’ve convinced myself when it’s this quiet I can hear the electricity in the walls. I hear something at a very low volume. Real or imagined? Can’t tell.

Walking outside this time of day can be stunning. I’d rather have no Moon and a sky full of stars. It’s dark enough here to appreciate the night sky.

Doppler spends the night with me. I pluck her from upstairs when I get home from work. Tonight like most nights she is asleep on the couch. She’s curled up forming the letter “O.”

I’ll be up at least a few more hours. I don’t want to miss anything.

9 thoughts on “I Love The Night”

  1. I’m nocturnal as well. Tough cause I have a day job. I’ve always been this way. Just love the quiet. Everybody’s sleeping, including the dogs. I don’t get interrupted. I do my best thinking in the middle of the night.
    Have you checked out the “Life With Dogs” blog? It’s funny and informative. Don’t miss some of the “personal” stories of Nigel’s owner and his neighbor. Very amusing.

  2. I’m also nocturnal. After almost 25 years together, my husband has finally realized that there’s no changing me and has, more or less, accepted it. The worst thing about my job is having to get up early. Especially, when I don’t go to bed as early as I should because someone keeps telling me to “Don’t go to bed yet”!

    Also, when I get bored online because most of my friends are asleep, I can usually count on you to have posted on your blog. 🙂

    And, I am off to bed since I’m on vacation and need to leave for the airport at 9:30am.

  3. I can’t believe you said that about the noise, I have mentioned that I can almost hear something that sounds like a radio on very, very low at night. My husband thinks I’m crazy. As a mom, I have always loved the night, when the house is completely quiet. it’s the getting up at 6:00am that is killing me.

    1. Laura, it sounds nuts, I know, but I could swear I hear the same thing!!

      (For a year I kept hearing what sounded like a foghorn at night. So annoying – I don’t live anywhere near the ocean, however, the spooky thing is that the guy who lived here before me did woodworking and he made a lighthouse for the back yard. I couldn’t figure it out and I even made my neighbor come listen. ONE YEAR. Guess what it was – the “vibrate” mode on my new cell phone. Next to my bed, in my purse.)

  4. thats an og thing geoff .as we get older we need less sleep (real fact ) another useless tid bit i picked up from somewhere .i do the same, sorta. ill lay down after dinner and fall asleep and wake up , only to be up till all hour of the night. you work the night shift, by the time you get home you need hour to unwind .not to mention being up alone in the night has its own particular charm. you here the silent buzz. myself i sence the silence of the world.everyone is sleeping , and spiritualy it silent , we can sence spiritual things. albeit , most do not realize it. ive noticed this traviling south out of the quiet north land at night as i approach springfied mass.you can be totaly alone in the car , but the turmoil of the populated world comes to greet you as you approach the cities.im from the deep country of upstate new york and have noticed this my whole life.it took the bible to explaint it, and its real , sometimes we need and even desire to be alone with god , and our own thoughts.these are the times we as old men grow and teach ourselves , and get taught by god. when i lived in meriden , i would get up late a night and like you go for a walk for miles . these were times when god taught me great things. use this blessed time and incline your ear toward god , and he will talk to you and yes teach you things even the world doesnt know yet , he has me and i know for a fact hes no respector of persons (he isnt impressed by our jobs or lives ) he just loves us and wants us to come be with him and talk . enjoy your alone time geoff , and next time , invite god along, hell teach and mentore you into the man he would want you to be. again geoff , you are truley blessed by god . be good …. duane

  5. I am also a night owl. I have always said I missed my calling. I should have been a nurse so that I could work the overnight shift and live in my natural time. And to make matters more interesting, I married a natural morning person who wakes up at 5AM without an alarm clock! We compliment each other though because we both appreciate a little alone time. I get mine at night and he gets his in the early AM. It all works out.

  6. OMG ya’ll amaze me I am 74 and I raised 4 handsome successful sons and I am still a night owl. I always loved cleaneing when my hubby and kids went to sleep. AND then it was my time. 2 of my boys are night owls like me. I love the peacefullness of the night and the sounds. Oh by the way I also hear soft music in the background when I lay down. I owned My own business for years and had to get up early but I was still a night owl. I think we are blessed because some people never get to have this miracle. It makes life more loving.

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