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| Photo by Matthew Ang |
I'm a nocturnal beastie.
I prefer the nighttime to the daytime... but since a majority of the time (unless you live in Vegas or someplace the "city never sleeps") there aren't that many options for things to do in the evenings, I just breathe and try to cope. Ha! Ha!
I survive during the daytime only because it's a necessity to support me through life. My body kicks into some automatic mode, which eventually results in wages earned and leaving me with a place to escape to when the world is being dumb or I just wish to be alone.
When I was younger, bedtime was bedtime, which was difficult for a kid dealing with insomnia (something her mother didn't know anything about. There were nights when I would sit in my room in the dark and listen to the random sounds the evening would bring. Most of the time, it was usually a stray cat, an owl, or a dog barking nearby. Once in a while, I would raise the shade, sit by the window, and look at the neighborhood.
But most of the time, I gazed at the sky.
From where I lived, you couldn't see the stars very well. Yes, I know they are far, FAR away from us, but in the city, they just looked like tiny sparkling sequins on some vast black velvet gown.
For a while after our friend group moved away from the town where we all met for a holiday weekend, we'd all just stay there for a few days, having a lovely time. We'd swim, barbecue, toss back some drinks, go on hikes... I even got to ride a horse.
For some of us night owls, we step away from the main house so as not to wake or bother anyone. Sometimes we'd go on an evening stroll, and when I'd look up, there were so many stars! So much more than what I could see in town.
I miss those days.
There was another time one of my friends was taking an astronomy course, and her teacher arranged an outing for some of the students. He was going to set up a couple of telescopes pointed at certain spots in the sky. She asked me if I wanted to come. I gladly tagged along. It was colder than I had expected. I met the teacher and some fellow classmates. The teacher explained he had set up two scopes, and everyone was welcome to take a look.
I never really looked through a scope before. The only relatable lenses I was familiar with were when I saw my optometrist. So when I was told the scope closest to me was pointed at the moon, I expected to see it a little closer than usual. When I put my eye to the eyepiece, the darkness of the woods around me was replaced by a giant white dot. At first, I thought I got too close or wasn't through the lens correctly. I prepared myself the second time, and DAMN!
THE MOON WAS HUGE!
I couldn't stop staring at it. It was SOOOOOOOOOO PREEEEETTTTTTYYYY!!!
It would have been rude for me to hog the moon-scope all night, so I moved to the other telescope. I think it was pointed at a constellation, but I can't remember which one. I have the vaguest notion that it wasn't one of the standard ones like the North Star or one of the dippers.
Another time, another friend couldn't sleep and wanted to go for a drive. She picked me up, and we drove up into the mountains (which at the time was a little nerve-wracking since she seemed to always channel the spirit of Evil Knievel or something).
But once up in the hills looking over the city...
It was so quiet and peaceful. The cool breeze on my face. The town from afar was lit up in various colors (neon business signs, street lights, the airport, etc).
And then there was the sky.
The lovely, lovely sky.
...
...
...
I should visit her again sometime.
Later, my lovelies,
Have Goodness!
Rae
Rae
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