Night! Does the word fill you dread? Wonder? Anxiety? Peace? Our lives are balanced between light times and dark times — the days, the seasons and our lifetimes. Day is the time of doing, taking action, meeting and greeting – the stuff of living. Yet, night is the time of being, dreaming, resting and recovering — it is also the stuff of living.
But sometimes we feel anxiety in the still darkness of night. It is not unknown to us — we experience it every turn of the sun. It hasn’t hurt us — we awake in the morning from our dreams. Why then do we fear the dark anymore than fearing the light of day? Rather if we embrace the evening and welcome the night, we can relish the shift — the downturn of activity into the upswelling of rest.
Taking time to honour night’s calm can help us appreciate the day’s busy-ness. It can put us better in balance with ourselves — both sides for we need both action and rest for health and happiness. So … at this time of year when we can experience both in balance, take some time to embrace the night!