Being in the Dark

Microsoft AI Generated

I guess I have always been prone a little to being in the dark. Rather it’s because I worked night shift most of my life or from the insomnia to which I suffer. As much as I enjoy the being out in the sun, I often find myself huddled somewhere in a dark corner. Beyond the hum of the box fan and the AC, I can faintly hear the call of the morning birds through the window. With my dear wife coughing nearly uncontrollably in the next room. I’m hiding here in our bedroom/office blanketed by the dim glow of three small lamps. 

Being married to a by-the-book dawn to dusk sleeper makes it difficult to live the all nighter lifestyle. But she manages to tolerate my bad habits while I have simple learned to live with Her’s. Still there’s something comforting in living in the dark, almost a certain kind of freedom. I grew up with a group of friends that felt pretty much the same way. Through late night benders and spontaneous drives to the beach or even all night get togethers down at the river. Talking and fretting about the things that seemed so important to us back then, that only make me smile now. 

Hell, maybe that’s what has got me feeling this way. All those times feeling alone yet never being alone. Long before moving here me and my friends had grown distant. We were all starting to live our own lives and create our own families. We were each struggling in our own way to establish ourselves. While in the process we seemed to just lose each other attaching ourselves to other things that were much more important. But still not as much fun. Now with the kids grown and on their own, the dark seems to be my last refuge. A place where I can go and tap into the things I still enjoy. Things like writing, listening to music, and dreaming about places to go. Our I have plenty of online friend, but there’s no connection like human touch.