It was earlier this week, Wednesday I think, around 3 a.m., after being awake since midnight and not seeing sleep happening any time soon, I got up. It was a lovely night. A refreshing breeze rustled the lace curtains at one of the bedroom windows. It was much cooler than it had been for the previous two days; a welcome relief to be sure. Zenon white rays slanted across the foot of the bed courtesy of a full moon, which probably contributed to my sleeplessness.
I headed downstairs but wasn’t in the mood to read a book my usual M.O. for nights like this. I wanted to go outside and enjoy the last vestiges of night before the sun arrived.
I grabbed my Halloween orange hoodie from the kitchen closet because I was chilly. I put it on, unlocked the back door and stepped onto the deck. I was in deep shadow but the deer, spotlighted by full moonlight and grazing several yards from our deck, sensed something was amiss. But since they couldn't see me, they went back to grazing.
Barefoot, I tip-toed down the steps and across the lawn. The grass, nothing more than a controlled field, felt cool and dry. I love going barefoot; however, I'm always dislocating the little toe on my right foot. Ouch!! Anyway, I moved out onto the lawn to where the moon was shining and just drank in the entire ambience of the wee early morning hours. I closed my eyes and embraced the breeze wrapping my arms around myself. Then I gazed up at the stars sprinkled across a cloudless, crystal clear sky and then at the moon beaming like a celestial flashlight. It was heavenly to say the least. I’m not in the habit of venturing out in the early morning while it’s still dark, but tonight was different.
Recently, I came across Astroviewer where you can view, and get a printout of the night sky in your area. On my next foray into the night I plan on taking a printout with me as I’m hopeless at identifying constellations.
It wasn’t until I came inside that I realized I should’ve taken a blanket with me. Next time I will so I can lie down and look up at the stars. I might even get lucky and spot a few meteors zipping across the night sky.
Namaste
Chris
2 comments:
That sounds just wonderful, Chris. I don't know if I could ever do that. My dogs would go biserk!
Sharon
Isn't the night sky magical? Those nights that you can't sleep can carry gifts with them, if you are brave enough to venture out.
My mom and I went to visit my brother a few weeks ago and we slept on his upstairs patio under the stars. It was amazing! We gasped as we watched shooting stars and philosophized about our incredible universe and eventually fell into a peaceful sleep. I woke up a few times in the night and gazed some more. It was wonderful.
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