Friday, June 06, 2008

sunday scribblings - my nights


How do I spend my nights? I wish I slept but I was born with a genetic condition called night-owlness and it keeps me up until 3 or 4 o'clock these days.

My nights are in fact the most important part of my day (as strange as it sounds in a sentence). This is the time when I'm most creative, active, allert and, more importantly, when I'm able to relax and not be interrupted at any given second. The neighbours finally stop their annoying screeching and pianoing and wailing and I'm able to concentrate on whatever I'm writing or reading or wondering.

I'm certain that 95% of my creative ideas for stories and even blog posts are created at night, particularly if I'm already lying in bed. I think the blood flows better and I'm able to come up with things that I normally can't when I'm standing. (This reminds me that other times when people are trying to remember or talk about things they tend to walk, as if walking gets the brain working - and it works! but in this case it's a different thing).

I love nights. Rainy nights with a blanket on my knees. Spring nights when you put your nose out the window and it smells wonderfully of flowers. Summer nights with the noises from the cicadas and falling stars through the sky. But whatever the weather I never close my window shade until I go to bed. I hate to look at the window and see a grey thing covering it. Right now I'm looking through and I see lights from the street and the silhouettes of the trees. There were times when I slept with the window uncovered all night just so I could stare at the Moon when I was falling asleep. But it's not possible if you want to sleep through most of the morning, as there's too much light.

So, as you can see, my nights are important to me, but I can also draw another conclusion: if it wasn't for me not having to follow a strict schedule during the day, I probably would have to control my night-owlness and sleep through the night and I don't think I'd be less creative or effective because of that. It would simply be different.


30 comments:

Dr.John said...

Until I got sick I was a night person. But not any more.

Lucy said...

very interesting Devil mood! Just today at work, someone was discussing how Insomnia AND bed wetting ( hope you don't suffer from that!) are genetic. I hadn't known that !
It sounds like the world is only yours at this special time! Glad you've learned to enjoy it. :)

Anonymous said...

Oh you’re singin’ my tune, girl! It sure is great, so quiet when everyone else is not incessantly talking, moving, crowding, talking, interrupting, wanting, insisting, pushing, arguing, cranking up weird music, and on and on! During the day it’s like I’m cowering waiting for the next demand to send shock waves across my entire schedule, but ah! the nights, the assurance that the time is completely my own! If only I didn’t need sleep…

anthonynorth said...

An excellent analysis of night and creativity there. I tend to be the opposite. I get my ideas more in the morning.

Admin said...

i'm a total night owl, but unfortunately my work schedule doesn't really allow for it.

GreenishLady said...

I'm finding it quite surprising reading these posts to discover that there are a lot of us who like to stay awake well into the night (if we were able to just follow our nature).

Granny Smith said...

Greetings from another night owl! There seem to be quite a few of us around. I never pull the shades on my windows except the western ones to keep out the hot afternoon sunshine. My windows are uncovered at night so that I can watch the stars and the moving lights of airplanes.

ell said...

It's been gratifying reading so many posts from fellow night owls!

Sometimes I like to wander around the house, or look out the front window at the deserted street and darkened houses - cup of tea in hand - wondering if there's anyone else awake in one of those houses.

rebecca said...

this was a very good post. i am not a night owl, however, i can certainly relate to getting most of my creative ideas in bed when the world has gone to sleep and my mind is enveloped in the stillness of the night and moment.

Devil Mood said...

Dr.John: Certainly some things are strong enough to change our rhytms into different ones.

Lucy: lol not bed wetting but certainly insomnia at times. At first I didn't like to be awake when everyone else was asleep, but now I'm more used to it, like you say.

MissAlister: True, sleep tends to get in the way of a perfect 24 hour day ;) Hope you can make the most of the night-time you have.

AnthonyNorth: Oh really? We should both be part of a study ;)

Vesper: Yes, sadly that's what happens to most night-owls. Poor creatures ;)

Greenishlady: Yes, me too! Now that you mention it like that, we are going against our nature when we have to wake up early, that's not fair :(

Granny: You're a night owl too? How wonderful to look at the sky at night!

Ell: It's amazing, that's exactly what I like to do! Look at the deserted streets, sometimes a car passes by and I wonder where the person is going. The night is poetic like that :)

Rebecca: Must be the silent moments that inspire us!

Anonymous said...

I always write in the wee small hours. Infact I don't even attempt writing during the day. I just wish I didn't have to go to work in the mornings.

gautami tripathy said...

You telling me about being a night owl?

LOL!

nocturnal

Renee said...

Wow, you basically wrote exactly the way I feel about nights!

Tammy Brierly said...

Many creative people at SS are night owls...hmmm. ;)

Anonymous said...

I love my nights, and my best ideas always come at night, particularly when I am lying in bed. ;-)

Niall young said...

I am with you 100%...I love the night..it seems as if all the senses become more sensitive.Talk is deeply precious when uttered in the stillness of the night..you write of falling stars...beautiful! i love to lie back in the darkness and watch airliners as they traverse the sky..all those souls on their way to somewhere..

Devil Mood said...

Keith: I feel your pain. The World keeps dragging us from our creativity into morning obligations..not fair!

Gautami: You too??:)

Renee: Oh my, night owls are a tight bunch it seems ;)

Tammy: Someone should probably investigate that, don't you thinK?

Gypsy Princess: There's something about nights...

Niall: One of the best things about summer is staying out at night, wouldn't you say?

Jennifer Hicks said...

don't some of the most creative people create at night?

Anonymous said...

I'm home! I missed you! I'm sorry I never sent you a postcard from where I was, but I am sending you one tomorrow! For reals, my friend!

Tammie Lee said...

It seems there is something to the quiet of the night that makes space for creativity to fill.

I am light sensitive in the morning as well.

Gill said...

Hey, I have been a night owl for ages. But having children makes me an early bird. They are up at 6:30, and therefore I must be.
I do miss the late nights though...
xoxo

kimananda said...

It took me a long time to figure out if I was a day or a night person...I can be both, to some extent, depending on what I need to do. I now suspect I'm primarily a morning person, though, which seems the less exotic option, really. But then again, I'd much rather stay up really late than get up really early. So who knows?

dharmabum said...

i love the nights, specially because the mad mad world or much of it is asleep and the quiet finally descends :) sadly for me though, my work and my lifestyle doesn't permit enjoying too many nights, except probably the weekends. sometimes i wish i didn't need sleep!

x said...

you are nocturnal? half of the living things on earth are too. Well, maybe not, that is not statistically checked. But it's the only way to be alone and focused when you live with other people. The only time i slept through the night was when i used to live alone.

madelyn said...

what a lovely post ~ a rainy
night up writing sounds wondrous...

:)

Devil Mood said...

Jennifer: It seems to be that way!

Chrispito: yay!Welcome back, I missed you too :)

Tammie Lee: I agree. I have a different sensibility in the morning, it seems that I'm still hald asleep...it seems?! I am!

Gillian: I understand! I admire the early birds...

Kim: You are one big puzzle :)

Dharmabum: Me too. We seem to lose so much time sleeping, it's not fair. ;)

Chloe: I know!! I had the house to myself today for a few hours and I almost did a waltz in celebration lol

Maddie: It really does. It could fit your posts entirely,which means it's enchanting :)

Anonymous said...

ooh
nights are my favourite time of day!
It's when it's calm and quiet and free enough to do anything I want to do.

p.s. i sent you an email. yourmail's are coming back to me. EMAIL ME so i have your current email address!

love,
m.

Scholiast said...

congratulations - you're in the quarter finals :)

Miladysa said...

We have the same gene :-D

Devil Mood said...

Mahima: I got it so you must have my alternative adress as well, my other one died. ;)

Scholiast: ah thank you :)

Miladysa: We do? Nice :)