I totally agree with Van Gogh. I love being outside at night.Last night I spent some time out on the back porch. The dogs were out for their evening constitutional.
Being outside at night creates in me a longing. There's a crispness about the night. I love the bug noise! To me, it's the music of transparency. It's inspiration for openness. It makes me want to be sitting out in the woods listening to an acoustic guitar accompany some sort of spur of the moment story.
I can name several very vivid memories of things that happened outside at night in my lifetime. Most of them are very dear memories. I really love it. I love breathing the clean air. I love looking at stars. I love wrapping up in a soft blanket and quieting myself to listen to all of nature's noise.
I resolve to myself every time I find myself outdoors in the evening that I will be more intentional about getting myself outdoors in the evening. Sounds simple doesn't it?
It seems like much is said about darkness or how lots of crime happens at night. From early in life we learn that when it gets dark out it's time to come in.
Sometimes I wonder. Is the evening something that Satan has stolen from us by corrupting it and making us afraid? Or, is it simply that modern convenience has driven us inside to things that hold our attentions better?
All I know is that I miss the evening splendor of God's creation regularly and I'm saddened by that notion.
I agree---I like to just sit outside at night and be quiet. Listening to the sounds of nature, and even the muffled traffic, are good for the stress levels. Inside noise (i.e., TV, music, etc) just adds to the stress level.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reminding us that we need to walk outside and soak in God's night creation as much as possible. Pretty soon it'll be too cold!
Wonderful thoughts! I had never thought of the night being corrupted but you are so right. I am a little fearful but I shouldn't be. God created the night too!
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