Night
As someone who has seldom had a problem sleeping when it is time for bed, it has been a new experience for me to suddenly have my sleep/wake schedule get askew and be awake at night. At first it was frustrating. I would lie in bed, wide awake, waiting, waiting for sleep. Sometimes I'd still be awake at 3 or 4, and though my body was resting, real sleep was elusive. Finally I took the experts' advice, and started getting up for awhile when I couldn't sleep. And then one night I decided to sit outside in semi-darkness, comfortably swinging back and forth on my porch swing. What a different world it is at night! During the day, my awareness is on hundreds of things. I get tasks done, go to meetings, make my bed, feed the cat, take a walk, give a massage, clean the house, weed the garden, call my children, eat meals. In contrast, sitting outside in the dark in the middle of the night, I was just me, no chores, no responsibilities, surrounded by quiet and by darkness. And grad...