Quiet of night

Frequently over the years, I have had difficulty with sleeping throughout the night. It's not what I would call insomnia, but more a function of joint aches, restless legs, barking dogs down the street or, like last night, coughing due to a cold and springtime allergies. Now that I no longer have to get up early and go to work, interrupted sleep isn't a big problem. I can always take a nap later in the day if I get tired. As a result, I have begun to enjoy the quiet hours that I am awake.

Take last night as an example. A coughing attack woke me up at about 3:00 a.m. I knew I wouldn't go back to sleep right away so I got up and went to the living room. Actually, sitting up helps my chest and bronchial tubes clear out so I don't cough so much. Sometimes when I'm up I'll turn on the TV to see what inspiring late-night fare I can find. Usually I don't find anything much other than maybe a many-year-old rerun of some cooking show on Food Network and last night I wasn't in the mood for any of that. I didn't even want background music from the cable music channels. Instead, I picked up my needlework and spent a couple of hours stitching away on the quilt blocks I'm making and just listening. Listening to all the sounds that happen at night. Mother Nature has a wonderful orchestra that plays all night long. The "instruments" change as some creatures go to sleep and others wake up. No matter who is playing, the music is soothing. The only sounds other than nature were the ticks of the clock as the hands changed time and the refrigerator condenser keeping my food cool.

These last two were minor sounds. By far, the loudest sounds came from Mom Nature. It is always soothing to listen to night sounds, but for some reason they were especially welcome last night.

I have always said that working on my needlework is what kept me sane throughout all those years of working. I have to add night sounds to the list of enjoyable things.

Night sounds differ with the seasons, too. In the middle of winter, especially after a snowfall, the sounds are much different, more muted, but still in existence. Springtime night sounds are muffled a bit because the trees have leaves that help hold the sound down. Summer night sounds include bullfrogs and crickets. And in the fall, if the windows are open, you can actually hear a leaf hit the ground.

Mom Nature really does give us a new show all the time. And I haven't even touched on the sights and sounds of daytime. That is a whole other discussion completely. For me, though, the quiet stillness in the middle of the night is the most relaxing time of day for me.

Til next time, thanks for reading.
Amy