I woke up naturally at 3:45 am for no good reason, so we were out for our walk by 4:30 am. The difference between 4:30 and 5:30 is negligible, because unlike daytime where the position of the sun can drastically change the shadows and atmosphere, night time is mostly just…night time.
It can be a little darker on the new moon and a little brighter on a full moon but in the middle of a city, surrounded by lamps and lights and brightly lit up business signage, there just isn’t much of a difference to notice.
I think that’s why I like the night time. There is a consistency to darkness, to the predictable fall of shadows around me, that is comforting. Daytime on the other hand is in a constant swing of change, affected by both the position of the sun and the weather — a humid day looks different from a drier day, not that people notice too often, and of course every five minutes the light itself shifts around you.
Night time is a cradle, soft and familiar and predictable.
And quieter.
Even the few regulars who inhabit the predawn liminal world aren’t out before five (except for Have a Good Day! guy, who is the exception to every natural law). I can’t say there is less traffic since before 6 am there is basically no traffic at all, but possibly?
It’s times like this I realize how much I enjoy being alone, just me and my doggo tripping merrily along in an empty world. It is how I was raised and, fortunately, suits my personality. I can’t imagine how messed up I would be now, having grown up the way I did, if I had been an extrovert or just craved external stimulation.
Or sunlight.