Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

There are 24 hours in a day. Seems simple enough. Then why is it that the last 8 of them have an air of mystery about them?
The night envelopes you like an oversized hoodie, and it is equally comforting. Night can also offer unexpected treasures. Houses begin to glow from inside. The Earth seems to spin progressively slower until a certain stillness settles in. But do we really know about what goes on at night, when most of us are sleeping soundly and at our most vulnerable.
Do you really know a person when you don't know who they are at night?

Night is one large span of time that seems to go on. There are no inconsistencies, it is night and then it isn't anymore. Most if us have gone through the teenage night owl phase where night is refreshing and fun and forbidden. It brings a risque sense of adventure. But true night owls are genetically pre-programmed. Most people are hummingbirds. Neither night owls nor morning larks. They fall somewhere in between.

At night, the lines are blurred between reality and fiction. Special occasions take place at nighttime - parties, dinners, galas. The night offers a sense of freedom and lowered inhibition. But it also allows for self indulgence.  Things get said that wouldn't otherwise find a listening ear in the light of day.

A sense of impossibility, an awe, but also a sense of foreboding. There are no barriers to knowing what's going in our lives at night. You are forced to introspect and scratch the painfully repressed itches in your soul. Under cover of darkness, our mind meanders into unknown territories. There are no parameters as to where the thoughts can go. Sometimes shrouded in privacy and a curtain of secrecy, and sometimes barely recognizable as our own. The hours of dark can bring over an unsettling effect on those who prefer the comfort of day.

Night doesn't always hide things. Sometimes, it reveals them until they're so apparent that you cannot ignore them anymore. The night is a portal to a different life that we lead in the after hours. Night can be like a funhouse mirror of what's inside us. It can be euphoric or meditative. Or it can be lethargic and forced.What do you think of when you imagine the night?